LASHAM Gliding Society have been awarded the UK Junior National Gliding Championships for this summer.

Fifty of the top young (16-25yrs) glider pilots in the UK will be competing over nine days in late August.

This will run alongside the Lasham Regional competition and with a further 50 gliders taking part, it will be one of the biggest gliding competitions in the world.

It should also act as a boost for the local economy, with 200-plus competition pilots and associated crews camping or staying in nearby bed-and-breakfasts.

Male, female and disabled pilots, aged from 16 to 80, will be competing across the two classes, including several who have come through the Lasham youth system.