A Widnes teenager has received global recognition for her fitness app, having created it before turning 16.
Lydia Jones created the FitFlash app, allowing fitness fanatics to connect and keep each other motivated during exercise.
The app allows interactions with other users by uploading posts about workouts, sharing latest photos and fitness goals.
Thousands have already shown their appreciation for the app, from countries as far as America and China.
Lydia came up with the idea after she became home schooled and felt a sense of separation from others. She told JMU Journalism: “I was always sporty compared to all the other girls, which made me stand out.
“When I became home-schooled I spent more time each day between my tuition hours training, whether it was boxing, running or lifting weights. It made me feel good and cope with the situation I found myself in.
“My goal was to build the ultimate fitness tool for all fitness levels and backgrounds. I wanted it to be somewhere that people wouldn’t be judged, like I was in my past.”
When asked what she thought about the level of interest, she said: “I can’t believe the support both the app and myself have received. At the time I was marketing the app and due to my young age many people never called back or simply didn’t believe the vision I had.
“After a while people started contacting me back, saying they would help me out for free by wearing FitFlash clothing to sports events to spread the message. I couldn’t believe that I had people in so many different countries willing to help me out.”
Looking to the future, Lydia said: “My plan is to get enough users to pursue an investor; that way I can bring ideas to life that the App Store hasn’t introduced yet.
“I believe that it has a fantastic chance of becoming a well-known global app, and by expanding our team we will be able to create change within fitness based social media apps.”