Pictures and video: Hundreds at Telford venue to take part in UK's biggest pole championships

The competition gives professional pole athletes and dancers the opportunity to compete against others. It is the UK's biggest competition of its kind, attracting around 900 entrants this year.

Now in its fourth year, it was established by Kate Edwards and Varie Anderson of Spin City Aerial Fitness.

Competitors are marked in three categories – instructor, professional, and elite.

Varie, whose aeriel fitness business is based in Berkshire, said: "We started the competition in 2011 and we really wanted to set the bar for competitors and bring together the pole athletes community.

"We have been holding the competition here in Telford for four years now and we have built up a great relationship with the International Centre.

"We have over 900 people come from all over the country and it really has grown every year. A lot of people might not realise how hard these athletes work, and that a lot of people do it for fitness.

"Many also don't realise it's not all like it is in clubs, so we always tell people to come and give it a go.

"The competition is full of people of all ages, from young children to people in their 60s, but the main age is people from their 20s to their 40s." The whole event ended with the sold-out Grand Final performance where three professional pole athletes took to the stage. The first was Mimi, aged 12, who has been at the UKPPC for the past four years.

Mimi was followed by the second performer Bendy Kate, who specialises in pole, aerial, hand-balancing and acrobatics. She was last year's World Champion and has won the UKPPC three times. The final performer was Vane Lunática, who is a pole athlete from Spain.

She has been in the profession for 10 years and

is currently teaching workshops around the world as well as performing and creating choreography for other pole artists.

For more details about the competition visit www.ukppc.co.uk