Trafford design champ lands a ‘clip and climb’ prize for her pals

Young Catriona Ledger has ambitions to climb to the top – and now her design skills have proved it!

The eight-year-old has won a Trafford Leisure competition to design a clip and climb station at the newly-refurbished Urmston Leisure Centre. Now Catriona, who attends St Anne’s CE Primary School in Sale, has won the opportunity to take all of her Year 4 class mates to the new centre when it opens to test and trial the new clip and climb walls.A total of 114 pupils from ten Trafford schools took part in the competition – and Catriona’s eye-catching Manchester bee design was selected as the best design by Trafford Council Leader, Cllr Andrew Western.

Cllr Western, who picked Catriona’s design from a shortlist of five students from St Ann’s RC Primary (Stretford), St Michael’s C of E (Flixton), Abbotsford Preparatory School (Urmston) and St Anne’s C of E (Sale), said: “Each of the shortlisted entries was fantastic and all deserved to be in the final five of the competition. But Catriona’s bee design really struck a chord with me and I knew when I saw it that she had to be the winner. Congratulations to Catriona and everyone else who took part.”

Jo Cherrett, Chief operating Officer of Trafford Leisure said: “Trafford Leisure are so excited to bring the clip and climb experience to young people in Trafford. Catriona’s bee design will complement the other designs brilliantly and will be a fantastic, colourful showcase on the front of the new part of the building. We will be delighted to welcome Catriona and her classmates to test the wall once the centre is completed in Early 2020”

The development work at Urmston Leisure Centre started in Spring 2019 and is due to complete in Early 2020. The new £7.1m development will have a large fitness suite, studio spaces, clip and climb wall, sensory room and Changing Places.