Forester Jo top of the tree at world climbing championships

SWAY villager Josephine Hedger has won her fourth tree climbing world championship in Knoxville, USA.

Following her fifth European championship earlier this year, she backed up her title with a world crown after winning the female section of the preliminary rounds and finishing first in the final Masters’ runoff in her eleventh consecutive world championships appearance.

Stephanie Dryfhout who represented New Zealand came second in the event behind Hedger while Anessa Winn of the USA claimed the last place on the podium.

Hedger, is a director at local company Arborventure which combines local arborist services and a training school.

She is also an ambassador for Husqvarna, a Swedish company that specializes in gardening and outdoor power products.

Hedger told the A&T that she was delighted with her performance at the worlds: “I am so proud to win this title for the fourth time.

"I have worked hard to achieve this since my last world title in 2014, and I am overwhelmed that I have been able to achieve this after so much effort.”

She added: “This fourth title probably means the most to me because of the work involved.”