A skateboarder is preparing to travel to New York to compete in the sport’s world championship.

Lloyd McLeggon-Watkinson will fly to the Big Apple to skate in the Red Bull Manny Mania World Championship in August.

It’s a remarkable achievement for the 21-year-old, who has only been skating for five years and is considered a newcomer. It is also a big step towards his dream of giving up his job as a phlebotomist at the Royal Oldham Hospital to skate full time.

He said: "Ever since I first stepped onto a skateboard I’ve been hooked. I practicse every day and never go anywhere without my board. It’s like a part of me.

"The dream is to be able to make a living from doing what I love and go professional."

He said: "I love doing big jumps off flights of stairs, the feeling of floating in the air is unbelievable, but being able to do a trick and go straight into a wheelie is a real buzz as well."

Lloyd, from Failsworth, was introduced to skating five years ago by a friend and become instantly obsessed. The former Failsworth school pupil would even save his lunch money and go hungry to be able to afford new equipment. Despite suffering broken bones, Lloyd persevered, culminating in him storming the Red Bull Manny Mania UK Championship last month.

Lloyd said: "I never expected to win the UK competition and just went out there and enjoyed myself.

"That’s the same way I’m going to approach New York. You never know what could happen."

He can be seen in action on www.youtube.com

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