AN 11-year-old girl from Great Witley was crowned West Midlands Regional Gymnastic Champion, at Liverpool.

Alex Perry came top of her group in the compulsory grade two National Finals, and is now a step closer to claiming a place in the Great Britain squad and fulfilling her dream of competing for her country in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Perry launched her gymnastics career as a member of Anne Coombs' Wyre Forest training group in Kidderminster, at the age of five.

She has since progressed to the regional squad at Telford, studies at the Wrekin College, and trains six days a week, amounting to around 20 hours, under the guidance of Christine Sill.

Parents Steve and Jane Perry travel some 400 miles a week to support their daughter's ambition, and all her hard work has paid off as she now has a handsome set of medals.

l Winning feeling: Alex Perry (left) proudly parades her medal.