Tweddle successfully defended her European titles in Birmingham in May

Liverpool gymnast Beth Tweddle says she hopes the team's medal won at the European Championships in Birmingham will inspire future generations.

Tweddle won two individual gold medals during the event and the team silver earlier this month.

"It's a massive thing for British gymnastics, it's great times," Tweddle told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Hopefully the younger generation will look up to us and they can go and take it one better in a few years."

She added: "No one ever thought they'd see the day were we were coming home with a team European medal. Not only on the girls side, but the boys side did it as well."

The 25-year-old is now gearing herself up for the World Championships in Rotterdam in October, but as the gymnast explains, she will have to miss the Commonwealth Games because of a calendar clash.

"Unfortunately the World Championships clash with the Commonwealth Games, so for myself I'm hoping to go to the World Championships," she continued. "All our funding is based on our World Championship results, not our Commonwealths.

Our 'A' team will travel out to Rotterdam for the Worlds and the 'B' team plus the two reserves from the A team will go to the Commonwealth games Beth Tweddle

"So our 'A' team will travel out to Rotterdam for the Worlds and the 'B' team plus the two reserves from the A team will go to the Commonwealth games.

"It works in a good way, as the 'B' team will be the younger seniors who will also be eligible for 2012 and are not quite ready this year. They'll get the experience of a major championships.

"Hopefully that will bode well for the future for us."

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