THE mother of a teenage Irvine darts star has said her daughter shows that "autism doesn’t mean you can’t achieve great things".

It comes as 15-year-old Irvine girl Holly Frew has secured sponsorship to participate in the World Darts Federation (WDF) Europe Cup Youth tournament.

The talented teen took up the sport just before lockdown and found she had a natural aptitude for it. 

She has already qualified for the Scottish Darts Association’s Youth Team and plays in the Cumnock League, where she regularly competes against adult players.

The Europe Cup began today (Tuesday July 4) and will conclude on Sunday, July 9, and the vital sponsorship - which came from Irvine based Optimum Eco Group - helped part-fund Holly's travel expenses.

The £2,000 helped make Holly's dreams become a reality, as she hopped onto a plane for the very first time to compete in Vienna.

It was Holly’s mum Lizzy who reached out to Optimum Eco Group – which owns recycling companies CCL and Restructa – to ask for support.

Irvine Times: Holly in action at a previous event.Holly in action at a previous event. (Image: Submitted)

She said: “Holly is currently waiting to be assessed for autism and doesn’t tend to go anywhere or do anything other than play darts, and I love that she has found something she’s passionate about.

“It’s great to see her qualify for international competitions, and though it can be expensive, I didn’t want to deny her this incredible opportunity.

"She is testament to the fact that autism doesn’t mean you can’t achieve great things.

“My son is an apprentice at CCL so I contacted the managing director and to my delight, he confirmed he’d be happy to contribute a significant portion of her travel costs this year.

"Holly was over the moon – not only about getting to compete, but also about the fact she’ll get to travel on a plane for the first time ever.”

It was a sponsorship the Irvine based company was more than happy to provide - and now the company is hoping Holly can do her hometown proud.

Bruce McLean, managing director of Optimum Eco Group, said: “We are so proud to sponsor Holly. As a major local employer, it’s important to us to give something back to our community and Holly is hugely deserving of our support.

“Not only is she the sibling of one of our top apprentices, she is a rising star who has the potential to do Irvine and the rest of Scotland proud and we wish her every success in her upcoming tournaments.”

Holly and her family have now flown to the WDF Europe Youth Cup in Vienna with the SDA Youth Team, and she is currently competing against the best-of-the-best from across Europe.

This event will hopefully be the first of many, with Holly also set to join the squad of two boys and two girls who have been selected to represent Scotland at the WDF World Cup in Esbjerg, Denmark, from September 22-26.