England footballer Beth Mead named "inspiration" as calls grow to give her top Scarborough award
We're campaigning for Beth Mead to be given Freedom of the Borough of Scarborough after the council left the Lioness off the list
Calls are growing for England footballer Beth Mead to be given Freedom of the Borough of Scarborough, after a petition started by Greatest Hits Radio.
In just a few hours, more than 100 people had joined the campaign, asking the council to reconsider a decision to leave her off the list.
Beth's six goals at the Euros were instrumental in England lifting the trophy last summer, and she's been made an MBE by the King.
Now, we've heard how she's inspiring the next generation of Lionesses, in her hometown near Whitby.
These girls from Beth's former primary school has been talking to Greatest Hits Radio's Karen Liu:
Phil Nedley, Beth's first coach, said: "The role model that she is for women's football and young girls taking up the sport she can't do enough. Her book is all about the journey she took to make it to where she is and I think it's a tremendous opportunity for young children to read that, take the path and follow her footsteps.
"We talk about her in the pubs and the little cafe we have in the village. People talk about her all the time and we're so proud of her because her family still live in the village. It's phenomenal that from a little village to world superstar it's a massive journey. We're just over the moon with what she's achieved.
"I think there's a definite interest in it and she's definitely sparked something amongst young girls that want to start playing football. They look up to her and they actually have the opinion now that if she can do it from a little village then anybody can do it. I think it's tremendous to have that opportunity.
"I don't think we've ever, ever envisioned that she'd come and then go as far as she had. At five and six years-old, she was a tremendous little player with a great attitude and skill with lots and lots of determination. The vast majority of the team were boys and she was showing the boys up all the time. She definitely had something that sparked that made it forward.
"I think having the Saturday morning club available for her to turn up was the main thing. She had somewhere to get rid some of her pent up energy and I think that's just the start of it. We'd then talk to her parents and she was encouraged to go up to Middlesbrough and get into a better team and she's just taken off from there.
"I looked at what people need to get the Freedom of the Borough and it says 'persons of distinction or any person who has rendered eminent service to the borough and if you look up eminent it says 'famous and/or respected in a specific sphere' and there's nobody more famous than women's football than Beth, so I think she deserves it."