A 14-year-old girl who was killed when her bike collided with a car has been called a "role model" and a "thoughtful and intelligent student" by the headteacher of her school.
Isla Cochrane, of Girton, a pupil at The Perse School in Cambridge, tragically died in a road accident at around 8.20pm last Saturday.
The keen sports player and community volunteer was cycling on the road when she was involved in the collision with a silver Mini Cooper on Oakington Road, near Girton, reported CambridgeshireLive.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and Isla was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital but died of her injuries. The car's driver, a man in his 20s, was uninjured and remained at the scene, police said.
The Perse School has said that it is "doing everything we can to support Isla’s friends and the wider school at this very difficult time".
It is also encouraging the community to bring flowers and leave messages with their memories of Isla at a dedicated tree on the school site.
Headteacher Ed Elliott said that Isla was a "positive and cheerful" girl who was involved in numerous school activities as well as charity and community volunteering.
He said: "Everyone at The Perse School is devastated to learn of the death of Isla.
"Isla was an incredibly talented, committed and kind student who made a major contribution to the school both in and outside of the classroom. Always positive, cheerful and keen to be fully involved in school life, Isla enjoyed music, playing in our hockey and netball teams and was part of our Outdoor Pursuits programme, where she enjoyed a climbing and camping trip to the Peak District earlier this year.
"Within the classroom, Isla was a very thoughtful and intelligent student, who demonstrated a natural aptitude for a wide range of subjects. More recently she represented our school in the regional Latin play competition Ludi Scaenici.
"Isla’s commitment to volunteering and supporting her local community shone through. At school Isla took part in the Emmaus sleepout, sleeping outside overnight on the school site to raise money and awareness for the homelessness charity Emmaus. Outside of school, she gave generously of her time and energy to the local Scouts where she received the Chief Scout’s Gold Award and was an outstanding role model to other young people as a patrol leader.
"In school, we are doing everything we can to support Isla’s friends and the wider school at this very difficult time. We are encouraging the Perse community to bring flowers and leave messages of their memories of Isla at a dedicated tree on our school site, and we will share these with Isla’s family in the days ahead.
"Our thoughts are with Isla’s family and friends and we pray they may find comfort in knowing how much their daughter was loved and will be missed by everyone who knew her."
Isla's family have also paid tribute and in a statement said: "Isla loved life; she enjoyed so much - the outdoors, friendships, art, sewing, baking, hockey, mystery stories, codes, music, Scouts and so much more.
"We will always remember her kindness, unconstrained outlook and fantastic style. Her death has left a huge hole in our lives, and in those of her many friends. We will love and miss her always."
