THREE schoolgirls have won through to the finals of the World Irish Dancing Championships.

Charlotte Westray, 13, of Woodstone Village, Fence Houses, County Durham, and Collette, 15, and Simone, 16, Hesketh, of Carrville, Durham, will dance in their respective age groups against competitors from across the globe in the climax to the competition in Belfast in April.

The girls are all pupils at St Leonard's RC Comprehensive School, in Durham, and attend the Hannon Murphy School of Dancing, in West Denton, Newcastle.

They earned their places at regional qualifying heats and are now looking forward to the finals.

Charlotte's mother, Frances, who used to dance, said they would be up against some fierce competition.

She said: "They are really looking forward to it.

"They make a lot friends doing Irish dancing and they are competing against the same children a lot of the time.''

She said the finals would entail the girls being judged on their dancing in a group in hard and soft shoes.

She said those that impressed the judges would be recalled to give solo performances, which was their aim in the finals.

Ms Westray said: "To get that would be lovely. To be recalled puts you in the top half, and that would be excellent."