Saltash Climber Seren Wills Records Best European Result to Date

Sixteen-year-old Seren Wills from Saltash has achieved her strongest international result to date after finishing fifteenth at the European Lead Cup in Toulouse.

The result places Seren inside the top 30 under 17 climbers in Europe and makes her Team GB’s second highest ranked athlete in that age category.

Strong European Finish

The European Lead Cup performance marks a significant milestone in Seren’s competitive climbing career, rounding off a season that has seen her compete at the highest level in Europe while continuing her education.

She is currently ranked among Europe’s leading young climbers and represents Great Britain in both lead climbing and bouldering.

Training Across the South West

Seren trains three times a week at Boulder Exe and the Quay Climbing Centre in Exeter, alongside weekly sessions at Plymouth Hanger. She also undertakes regular strength and conditioning training at Saltash Leisure Centre.

Her access to facilities is supported through the GLL Sport Foundation, which provides her with free membership at Better leisure centres across the UK.

Balancing Sport and Study

Alongside her climbing career, Seren is studying Uniform Protective Services at Callywith College in Bodmin, where she is part of the college’s High Performance Academy. She has been climbing since the age of two and has ambitions to become both an Olympic and world champion.

Reflecting on the season, Seren said:
“This is a great way to end what has been a challenging season, having had to balance GCSEs, moving from school to further education, and being selected for both GB Lead Climbing and GB Bouldering teams. I am excited about next year and looking forward to getting a solid winter training phase in.”

Support Through the GLL Sport Foundation

Operating under the Better brand, GLL is a not-for-profit social enterprise that runs 240 leisure centres across the UK, including nine in Cornwall. As a GLL Sport Foundation athlete, Seren has free access to facilities nationwide.

“I’m very grateful to GLL’s sport foundation for their continued support,” Seren said. “It means I can go to Saltash Leisure Centre and any other Better leisure centre or sport facility in the country free of charge and that makes a big difference to my training.”

In 2025, 144 Cornwall-based athletes across 23 sports received GLL Sport Foundation support worth £92,150. Of those supported, 72% receive no other central funding, more than half are under 21, 27% are under 16 and 8% live with disabilities.

Applications for 2026 GLL Sport Foundation awards open on 20th December. More information is available via the GLL Sport Foundation website.