Young Martha Newell is aiming high.

That's because the talented teenager is out and about at the top of some of the biggest mountains in Europe.

The 15-year-old is a skier, a very good one, and for the past couple of months she has been competing in Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

“She went out at the start of December,” said her mum Kerry. “This is the third time she has gone to Europe but this is the longest she has been away.”

Martha is part of the Alpine Performance Racing squad and her hard work is certainly paying off.

“She is the Welsh champion in the giant slalom,” continued Kerry. “The championships were held in Switzerland.

“She won her age group but also beat all the older girls and the senior ladies.”

The giant slalom is a technical event which involves racing between poles so to finish on top of the pile at such a young age is very good going.

Martha was born in Stroud but qualifies to represent Wales through her grandmother Carolyn Pattenden, who these days lives in Cyprus.

“Martha’s aim is to ski for Great Britain and compete in the Winter Olympics,” said her mum, who lives in Gloucester.

“She’s just started practising Super-G which is an event where you go from the top of the mountain to the bottom as fast as you can.”

Super-G or super giant slalom as it’s also known is regarded as a speed event which consists of widely set gates that racers must pass through.

Learning a new discipline is keeping Martha very busy, of course, and she’s very busy when she’s off the snow too because she has to keep on top of all her schoolwork.

“She goes to Kingshill School in Cirencester and she has been working remotely,” explained Kerry.

“The school have been very good. She’s doing GCSEs this year, she’s back before the end of February.”

Martha was away for Christmas but Kerry, dad Aaron and older sister Amelia, 17, went out to see her over Christmas.

So how did Amelia get into skiing?

“We’re a sporty family,” said Kerry. “I’m an England Athletics coach and Aaron used to play rugby for Old Patesians.

“Martha played football for Gloucester City when she was young but then she said she didn’t want to play anymore.

“We said it's important to keep fit, so she asked to go Gloucester Ski Centre.”

And the rest is history. She went on a skiing holiday for the first time when she was eight and it soon became obvious that she had a talent for the sport.

But Martha, who has been supported by Gloucestershire sporting charity CASS & Friends in the past, would like further financial backing if she is to continue in the sport.

“It’s very expensive so we’ve set up a GoFundMe page where people can support her,” said Kerry, who is a volunteer coach at Gloucester Athletic Club.

“If she can’t get the money, she won’t be able to ski.”

Martha will be leaving school at the end of next term and the hope is that she can find a job that will give her some much-needed funds.

Martha’s GoFundMe page can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-martha-training