A TOLLESBURY girl will be representing Team GB in football at elite games for competitors who are deaf.

Grace Leavett, 16, of East Street, will be joining up with Great Britain’s deaf football team to fly to the Deaflympics in Turkey next week.

The youngest player with the squad, Grace was called up to the team last Sunday, following training with the team at Christmas.

Grace’s mum, Joanne, said: “Grace has always played football, she absolutely loves it.

“She used to play for her school and for Tollesbury Juniors, and then she joined Beacon Hill who have been absolutely fantastic. Just before Christmas the deaf football team were trying to raise sponsorship and tweeted about the Deaflympics. I replied to it, tagging Grace, saying that it was something to look at for the future.

“The captain messaged me to talk about Grace, asking what position she played and what level, and whether she would be interested in going up for a training session.

“She spoke to the manager and a couple of days later Grace was invited up to train in Wolverhampton at Molineux, and has since played at the campus at the Etihad Stadium as well.

“Grace was on standby for the squad to travel to Turkey in April, and then following one girl having to drop out she got the call up, which was fantastic.”

The team, who receive zero funding, have had support from former England and Manchester United full back, Gary Neville, as well as the FA, as they try to raise the £125,000 required to enter.

Each member of the squad needed to raise £500 to travel, and the support of residents in the village meant that Grace passed that with ease.

Joanne said: “We had a pot going in the butchers, there was a just giving page, and there was also a collection in the village shop where Grace works. In the end we almost tripled the target amount. The people of Tollesbury have really supported Grace, and it is so great to see.

“They all know her. She was born 15 weeks early, and as a result was on a lot of medicine, and it is the effects of that medicine that made her profoundly deaf. She can hear with implants, but they are not allowed when on the pitch.”

The Team GB squad are still looking for extra donations to hit their £125,000 target. To find out more, or donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/TeamGBDF.