A SPORTING star who has been keeping active for 15 years is encouraging girls and other young women in the area to get involved in sport.

Chloé Simpson, from Gourock, has experienced the benefits of being involved in various sporting clubs in the area and beyond since the age of eight.

The now 23-year-old is involved in the Greenock Glenpark Harriers but she found herself having to join Kilbarchan Amateur Athletic Club too in order to train with female athletes of her own age, due to the low uptake within the Inverclyde area.

The keen athlete, who works with the NHS Health Improvement Service helping clinically obese children make healthier choices, is sharing her sporting story in a bid to inspire other young ladies to get active.

Busy Chloé, who also works part-time in Tesco, told the Tele: "I know personally how the drop-out rates start increasing as girls get to high school, for a number of reasons.

"Some people drop out because they change friendship groups, others take a step back because they want to focus on their exams.

"From experience I've found that having sport to focus on really helped me through my exams in both school and university.

"It gave me a break from everything and acted as an escape.

"There's proof too that sporting activities boost your mood, make you feel good about yourself and it's also an amazing place to make lifelong friends."

As well as being a competition-winning runner, Chloé, who graduated from the University of the West of Scotland in sports coaching in 2019, has a passion for athletics and competes with the Kilbarchan club.

The young sporting star, who lives with parents Steven and Julie and younger sister Kim, told the Telegraph: "I started out by playing hockey but found out it wasn't for me, so moved on to other things.

"If you start doing something but don't really enjoy it, there's always other options you can explore.

"I've coached in football, tennis and athletics and it's not only improved my sporting abilities, but has increased my confidence massively.

"I think things are starting to get better and more females are maintaining their hobbies or are sticking to their clubs which is great.

"It will mean there will be more female role models locally and hopefully it will encourage girls of all ages to get involved or try something new."