A tetraplegic climber who can hardly feel her hands has been crowned World Para-climbing champion.

Fran Brown, 27, damaged her spinal cord in an accident at work six years ago and she has very little sensation from the neck down, is unable to clench her hands and cannot walk.

Fran made it through two qualification rounds before seeing off fellow climbers from Italy and Ukraine in the final to take home the world title in the women’s physical disability class.

Fran, who was crowned British champion after winning every round of the competition in July, was making her debut appearance in an international competition.

“I just went to scope out the opposition to be honest and to see how I got on,” Fran said.

“I was really looking to use this as preparation for the 2014 championships so to go out and win it was a complete shock – it felt absolutely amazing.”

The competition involved climbers hoisting themselves up walls using holes to grip with the winners climbing the highest distances.

Fran’s disability means she has limited feeling in her hands so finding grip can be difficult.

She explained: “It can be hard because I have limited feeling in my hands. But my hands aren’t fixed flat, they’re fixed in a hooked shape so that helps me grip on to the wall.”

Fran, who lives in Leytonstone, trains for 30 hours a week at The Arch near London Bridge.

Her training includes work with her coach, fitness in the gym and of course, time on the wall.

Growing up in Cornwall, Fran says she was a climbing enthusiast from the age of 11 and that she always enjoyed taking on the local landscape.

She said: “I’ve always enjoyed climbing outdoors, when I was younger I used to climb rocks – it’s a fantastic adrenaline rush and it allows you to be outside and be at one with nature.”

Despite taking a break from climbing in her teenage years, after the accident Fran decided to return to the sport because she said she needed something to focus her attention on.

And now, six years on, the climber from Leytonstone is trying to get as many other people into para-climbing as possible.

“It’s a great sport that everyone can have a go at and that’s why I like it so much”, she said.

“It allows lots of different people of different ages and levels of ability to take part and apart from anything else it allows you to meet so many interesting people.

“There’s no limits to what you can do, you can always challenge yourself to do better.”

Anyone interested in para-climbing should contact the British Mountaineering Council on 0161 445 6111.