A NINE-year-old skater’s dream of representing Great Britain at an international competition is about to come true.

Jazzmyn Loring pulled on her first pair of skates aged four, and five years on is skating five days a week and competing around the country.

She trains at Spectrum North-East Roller Skating Club in Shildon with coach Tracy Stevens, who founded the club in 2013.

The club has been fundraising to send Jazzmyn to her first international competition in Paris since she was selected to represent Great Britain.

Miss Stevens said: “We submitted an application for Jazzmyn to compete in January and when we hadn’t heard anything we just accepted that she hadn’t been selected.

“Then one day I received an email saying that Jazzmyn had been chosen to represent GB so we started planning straight away.

“I thought Jazzmyn would get to international competitions one day but I didn’t know it would be this soon. We are all very proud.”

A total of £1,000 is needed to send Jazzmyn and Miss Stevens to the competition later this month.

A fundraising page has raised around £300 and a local church bake sale has also taken place to help Jazzmyn get to Paris.

Jo Loring, Jazzmyn’s mother, said: “Jazzmyn said she wanted to bring home a gold medal at four years old and at age nine she is still pursuing her dream.

“I am extremely proud and it’s not just that she’s been picked to go to the competition and it’s not about winning medals, what I’m most proud of is that she is completely dedicated to this.

“She never misses training and she chooses to miss birthday parties and things so she can go skating.

“This weekend she was competing at a national competition in Kettering, she was unwell so I suggested we go home but she wanted to stay because she knew her friends were going to be presented with a medal and she wanted to cheer them on.

"Rollerskating is an individual sport but we are one big team. We always do things together and the support we have received since Jazzmyn was selected to go to Paris has been amazing."

Jazzymyn, of Oakenshaw near Willington, said: “I like skating because I think it’s fun and I enjoy it, it makes me feel happy and I like performing to music.”

The competition takes place from April 19 to April 21 and the club have arranged a roller disco in aid of 'Jazzmyn's Journey' on Friday, April 12 from 7.30pm to 8.30pm at Sunnydale Leisure Centre in Shildon.

Entry costs £3 and skate hire costs £1. There will be also be a tuck shop and a tombola.

To donate to the fund visit gofundme.com/roller-skater-jazzmyn-compete-in-paris

For information about the club search Spectrum Roller Skating Club on Facebook.