Kiya Dee… remember the name.

Those involved in the world of running in and around Gloucestershire will already know about her because she is a very good runner indeed.

Young Kiya – she’s only 14 – won the junior girls’ title at the English Schools’ Cross-Country Championships in Leeds earlier this month and followed it up by finishing second in the British and Irish Schools’ Cross County Championships in Dublin.

Those are both incredible achievements and Kiya, who runs for Bourton Roadrunners, has had more good news because she is now being supported by CASS & Friends, a charitable organisation that is dedicated to helping athletes aged 12 to 18 living in and around the Cotswolds to reach the top in their particular sport by offering them financial support.

The charity was founded by Fiona Carter, herself a decent sportswoman, who went for a training run with Kiya in Bourton on Tuesday evening and said: “She’s absolutely brilliant. She was still recovering after her trip to Ireland so it was a slow four-mile run but she’s a wonderful runner.

“You want to say she could be the next Paula Radcliffe – she’s got the physique, she’s got the style, she’s very talented.

“It was so close in Ireland, she lost out by two seconds. It was stunning running.”

On the back of those two amazing runs Kiya is one of a handful of runners to be selected to run the London Mini Marathon, a race over three miles that will take place on Sunday 28th April, the same day as the London Marathon.”

That’s more good news, of course, and Fiona said that Kiya, a pupil at Farmor’s School in Fairford, was just the sort of person that her charity wanted to support.

“She epitomises everything we’re about,” she said. “She’s absolutely motivated to do everything possible to help herself.

“Her mum Diana had to get her a passport so that she could compete in Ireland and she travelled over there alone.”

That all cost £100 and Fiona has now presented Kiya with a cheque for £300 – which as well as covering the trip to Dublin will help pay future race fees and buy a new pair of spikes – and added: “We’d like to contribute a lot more.

“She is just the sort of athlete that our charity wants to find, support and encourage. We want to be able to give them a small helping hand and to give them the confidence that we believe they can achieve their sporting ambitions.”

Kiya’s twin sister Taya is also a decent runner too – she came 35th in English Schools’ Cross-Country Championships – and when the girls are not running, they put their spare time to very good use because they earn a bit of extra money by delivering The Local Answer around the village of Aldsworth where they live!