International Women's Day: Lioness Beth Mead described as a 'superhero'
Today is International Women's Day
Hinderwell Lioness Beth Mead has been described as a 'down-to-earth, wonderful individual.'
Today is International Women's Day and the Chair of UK Sport has been talking about the positive impact female sports stars are having on society.
Dame Katherine Grainger said: "She's become just a global superstar and in her own right for her own team but also as part of the Lioness' huge success last year. I think it doesn't matter how successful you become as an athlete and how globally recognised you might be, there's something very powerful and very important about knowing where you come from and knowing the support you have at home.
"They're all local boys and girls from local schools that started off somewhere and went on to become great things. We talk a lot about athletes having this ability to be role models for some people because there's a realism to them as brilliant as they might be in their achievements.
"They're all very relatable and very normal individuals. I think that's very powerful and important. Beth is such a wonderful individual when you meet her. She's very down-to-earth, very personable and normal despite the fact that she's an absolute superhero when she takes to the pitch.
"Now it must mean so much to Beth to come back home and see kids running around with England tops with her name across the back of it. When we all start off no-one imagines that could be the future they could have; to have that impact and that reach, it's really important for athletes to have that.
"I think for young people to have those role models, to have those heroes and those people to look up to who have gone on to do incredible things from whatever original background you come from, is really exciting to feel that it's possible to feel the connection that we can all achieve something special in our lives."