BETH TWEDDLE says she can't wait to perform on home soil, as the British Women's Artistic Gymnastic Championships hit the ECHO Arena this month.

The most prestigious event on the British Gymnastics calendar heads to ECHO Arena Liverpool on Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10 and sees the country’s top female gymnasts in action, with Liverpool’s superstar three-time world champion Beth Tweddle MBE and club team-mate and 2010 British champion Hannah Whelan the star attractions.

The event comes at an important time for British gymnastics, with the World Championships in Tokyo to come in September, and Olympic qualifiers scheduled for October, ahead of next summer's Games in London.

And Tweddle, who is based in Aigburth, says she is looking forward to competing in front of what promises to be a hefty Merseyside audience.

"The tournament at the ECHO Arena will be fantastic for me personally, and for the other locally-based girls," she said. "Of course we will have our friends and family there to watch, but also the children from my academies will be able to come down too, so it will be great for me, I'm looking forward to it.

"It is great for the city too. Liverpool, as we know, is usually a footballing city, and other sports can struggle to get much of a look in. So it will be nice for our sport to get some good exposure in a great setting.

"The venue, too, is one of the best around, and it will be great to compete there, hopefully with a good crowd behind us."

Tweddle has enjoyed a solid start to her own campaign, but is taking nothing for granted ahead of a huge year - her final as a professional.

"It's a busy time at the moment for all competitors," she said. "We had the European Championships (in Berlin) back in April, then we have the British Artistic Championships at the ECHO Arena in July, and then the Olympic qualifiers later in the year. So there is no rest for us!

"My form is good, touch wood! You can never be unhappy with good form, of course, but I need to make sure I am still in good form by the time October rolls around. That's the important thing for me.

"Of course the Olympics will be my last major tournament. I have made that decision, but it is still some time away and I will still be working hard until then.

"Once that comes about it is a case of seeing what opportunities come up for me."

She has plenty to keep her occupied in the meantime, of course, but already the 26-year-old has identified a path for her post-competitive career - a series of training academies across the North West.

"I have my academies, which are fantastic," she added. "When we set them up, there were some doubts from people, who said we would not be able to attract enough kids to take part, but the response has been great, and I think we have proven those people wrong.

"We have two in Speke - at Holy Trinity and Stockton Wood - and one at Archbishop Blanch, and we are looking to open two more in September or October.

"We have the coaches lined up, it is just a matter of sorting the final details and venues.

"Gymnastics has given me an awful lot throughout my life, so it is nice to be in a position to give something back."

Tweddle is also grateful for the support offered to her by her backers, Team 2012.

"Being a funded athlete helps so much," she admitted. "The National Lottery and Team 2012 work together to help out all the athletes, and it makes a massive difference. It means we can concentrate solely on our training, instead of worrying about getting part-time jobs in order to pay the bills.

"Also, if we pick up injuries - as I have done recently - we get good treatment and care, which is a huge help."

l To book tickets for the British Championships, log on to www.echoarena.com or call the ECHO Arena Box Office on 0844 8000 400. Tickets are priced at £15 adult & £10 children. Tickets are subject to a handling / booking fee.