A selection of Cornwall's female firefighters are training for the inaugural women's national fire service tournament which is being hosted at the Manchester Tennis and Football centre later this year.

Inspired by the Lionesses winning the Women’s European Championships the squad are currently a five aside team but are hoping to expand to an 11 aside team in the future. They are made up of on-call and whole-time firefighters and workshops personnel, with anyone who works for the fire service welcome to join in.

One of the teams' players Sam Spooner said: “When I found out about the national tournament with teams representing fire services from all over the country, I thought it would be a great thing to be part of - the first fire service female tournament in the UK.

"I put the feelers out and there was a lot of interest from colleagues who wanted to get involved. Everyone is welcome, we’ve got a real mix of abilities within the team.

“All the team were watching the Euros. It was a great inspiration for the whole country and young girls that are taking up the sport. It highlighted the fitness levels and the team spirit fantastically well, which is a reflection of what it is like to work for the fire service.”

The women’s team joins the existing men’s fire service team in their quest to represent Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service at football tournaments.