Schoolgirl Kate Hiorns’s spirits have been soaring since she received a very special invitation from the Red Arrows.

Young carer Kate, who helps look after her disabled sister Heather, has been a fan of the Red Arrows Display Team since she was a small child.

The 15-year-old, from Cromwell Road, Banbury, collects their memorabilia and even has Red Arrows curtains in her bedroom.

Her mum Alison, 44, a full-time carer for Heather, said: “Kate helps me care for Heather, who is eight and has learning and mobility problems.

“She is very considerate and never complains about giving up her time for her sister. She helps Heather get dressed and washed and brushes her teeth and, if I am tired, she thinks nothing of making all our tea.

“She really is a fabulous sister and daughter.”

Mrs Hiorns added: “A couple of years ago, Gill Dawson, a support worker from the North Oxfordshire Carers Centre, was working with my family, and asked what we could do to give Kate a treat.

“Kate has been a huge Red Arrows fan since she was little and when I told Gill she said she would write to them and ask if Kate could visit.

“Then out of the blue, last week, their public relations officer called and said they wanted to invite all of us along to meet the team.”

Kate, a pupil at the Oxfordshire Academy in Banbury, said she was “over the moon” when she received an invitation to see the Red Arrows train at their base in Lincolnshire later this month. She said: “When my mum said they had called and invited us along I was speechless.”