Teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland will be gathering in Melton Mowbray ahead of the English Tug of War Association's British and Irish Tug of War Championships on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August in Play Close Park, Melton Mowbray.

The Melton Mowbray Ladies Tug of War team will be flying the flag for England in the women's weight classes in front of a home crowd, after winning gold at the English National Championships in June and establishing themselves as world-class competitors.

The spokesperson for the Tug of War Association, Alan Knott, added, "We are really looking forward to the British and Irish Tug of War championships in Melton Mowbray this year. Teams that have won World and European Championship medals will be taking part which will make for a very exciting championship.

"The world tug of war championships will take place in Mannheim, Germany, in September, and this event will provide the home countries with a good warm-up event!"

Olivia Parry, a spokesperson for Melton Mowbray Ladies, said, "As a fairly new team back on the Tug of War circuit, we are so excited to get the opportunity to represent our country in our hometown. Tug of War is truly a passion for our team, and being able to share that with our family and friends at the British and Irish Championships this year is amazing.

"Our focus now is on making our town proud at these championships, followed by fighting hard for a placing in Germany that can unlock the potential to compete at the World Games in China the following year."

Dean Rees, CEO, Melton Mowbray Town Estate, said, "We're excited to be bringing the Tug of War Championships to Play Close Park in the centre of town, and we hope people will come along to cheer on the English tug of war teams"