FAWLEY'S Hampshire county councillor Alexis McEvoy literally went "up the wall" at Calshot Activities Centre.

Management and staff at the centre were staging their climbing and snowboarding festival, when anyone could go along and have a go.

Mrs McEvoy was there to present the prizes for competitions held during the day.

But while she was there with senior county recreation and heritage officer Mike Wickenden, she decided to gain some first-hand experience of centre's recently-opened free form wall. With a helping hand from staff and attached to the compulsory safety rope, her feet were soon off the ground.

She said: "I'm amazed at how safe these people make something like rock climbing. With this kind of care it is not difficult to see why Calshot is the premier facility of its kind in the South.

"The safety procedures here are second to none and that obviously gives people a lot of confidence when they are on the first steps of a difficult challenge like rock climbing."

The festival was also a big success with Calshot's land sports manager Mike Jones, who confirmed that more than 50 people took part in the competitions.