A BICESTER cheer squad will be leading the way to represent the UK in Croatia this summer but need help to make the trip.

Bicester Elite Cheer United (ECU) are hoping to send a stunt team of cheerleaders to compete overseas after winning first place at the UKCA National Championships in Manchester.

Four girls from Bicester– Elly Barry, 20, Mione Romain, 15, Ellie Stayt, 12, and Lily Hitchcock, 16, – and 16-year-old Kelly Kasestein from Germany, were selected for the UK team after impressing judges with a performance jam-packed with stunts.

The team are now working on an improved routine with bigger and better stunts for the European Cheerleading Championships 2017 taking place in Croatia but need help from the community to help fundraise for the journey.

Founder and head coach at Bicester ECU Kizzy Burt said: "We were training for weeks on our two-and-a-half minute routines before the nationals.

"It was the first time we have had a team qualify for Europeans. As a club we are now in our fourth year of our competitive career so it is really quite early on to achieve this level and I am so proud of how far they have come."

The stunt team impressed at the national championships with a routine they call 'Saturn', which includes a host of 'wow elements' such as tosses and somersaults.

It was this routine which ranked them in first place in their category and saw them chosen along with half-a-dozen other winners to represent the UK in the Croatian capital Zagreb.

Now it is back to training and fundraising for the girls, who need help with the costs of flights and accommodation for the tournament, which runs from June 29 to July 2.

Ms Burt said: "We have set up a crowdfunding page and have already had a few hundred pounds kindly donated.

"The community has been incredibly supportive of us and the Freemasons have donated money for the club, plus others who have pledged their support.

"Bicester Village has also donated raffle prizes and the girls themselves are working on their own fundraisers doing raffles and cakes sales at their own schools."

The group has set a £1,800 fundraising target.

Ms Burt added: "We are just more motivated than ever now and we want even more teams to qualify for Europeans next year.

"We are working hard already but the girls are really excited to go out to Zagreb and to see the others competing, such as Japan who we are quite in awe of."

To help out Bicester ECU by donating to the fundraising page visit gofundme.com/european-cheerleading-championships

To help out with raffle prizes or sponsorship contact Ms Burt on kizzy.burt@googlemail.com