THE year 2011 ended on a high for Horrabridge climber Alex Waterhouse, when he was selected for the Great Britain junior climbing team for 2012.

This follows an impressive second place at the Youth Open climbing competition held at the Sunderland Climbing Wall at the beginning of December. This event formed part of the selection process for the GB junior climbing team.

Alex, 14, a year 10 student at Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth, has been for climbing for three years since having a taster course with the Sport Unlimited Scheme.

'Getting on the GB Team has been my goal for a couple of years now,' Alex said, 'Now the real hard work begins because European climbers are very strong!'

He is now training intensively six days a week at The Barn Climbing Centre in Milton Abbot in preparation for his first European competition, which will be held at The Edinburgh International Climb-ing Arena in May.

To help fund his climbing Alex also makes and sells a range of Chalkbags through his website http://www.TinyClimb.com">www.TinyClimb.com and has also started a blog so people can keep up with his progress alexwaterhouse.blogspot.com/ Alex is supported by Cotswold Exeter, The Barn Climbing Centre, Dart Rock and TinyClimb.