We talks to one of East Lancashire's most talented young athletes, Leigh Lennon.

GROWING up with a famous family member can't be easy.

And when he happens to be one of the most talented young English footballers of his generation it must be even more difficult.

That's why Leigh Lennon, from Accrington, was reluctant to talk about her cousin Aaron.

About his omission from Fabio Capello's first England squad.

About his time with Tottenham Hotspur or about his dreams of playing in the World Cup.

Because 16-year-old Leigh has a dream of her own. A dream she has had since she was six-years-old.

Born in London, just a mile-and-a-half away from where the Olympic stadium will be built for the 2012 Games, her dream is to return there in four years time to represent her country on the greatest athletics stage of all.

She said: "I do get fed up, because every time I'm interviewed people always ask what it's like to be Aaron Lennon's cousin. Sometimes I don't even want to answer them.

"Aaron's doing really well as a footballer and it's really good for him.

"But that's nothing to do with what I'm doing with my athletics.

"I want to make a name for myself in my own right and not just be known as his cousin."

And she has already gone a long way to achieving that - a wall in her house is dedicated to the glittering array of cups, trophies, shields, medals and memorabilia.

Leigh, who represents Ribble Valley Athletics Club, has won the County Championships for five years over 800m and once over 1500m.

She is undefeated in the County Schools; came third in the 800m at the English Championships last year and second in the event in 2005; she has 12 North of England medals and she was second in the AAA indoor Championships.

And just last month she produced a unique double at the Northern Indoor Championships by winning both the 400m and 800m, a feat never before achieved by an U20 woman.

But her staggering success so far has come as no surprise to her dad, and coach, Don, who revealed that running, quite literally, runs in the family.

His dad was a 400m hurdler and his mum was a runner, and he can also boast a large number of County medals himself after representing Newham and Essex Beagles.

And so after a brief flirtation with tennis, table tennis and badminton, it was only natural that Leigh turned to running.

She said: "My dad always used to take me to competitions when he was competing when I was still in my carry cot. I probably didn't see them because I was only a baby, but when I grew up a bit I would run round the track two or three times at the end of the competition and celebrate crossing the line as if I'd won."

That early preparation stood her in good stead when she first started competing at the tender age of 11 and showed a clean pair of heels to girls up to four years older than her.

And she has been on the right track ever since.

Leigh, who is also studying beauty therapy at Acc-rington and Rossendale College, will tomorrow make her England debut at the Home Counties Junior Indoor Championships in Cardiff.

And only this week she received the news that she has been selected for the prestigious On Camp With Kelly programme, to be mentored by Dame Kelly Holmes.

Leigh said: "To meet and train with Kelly Holmes means absolutely every-thing to me. She ran the 800m and so do I. It really is a dream come true."

In the short term, Leigh is targeting gold at the English Schools Championships in Birmingham this month, with further hopes in the World Juniors and Commonwealth Youth Games in India later in the year.

But you only have to take one look at her bedroom wall to see where her long-term goals lie.

A huge Olympic flag is pinned up alongside motivational quotes from leading figures including Martin Luther King and John F Kennedy.

Not that she needs any more motivation on how to succeed.

She added: "When I was six-years-old I went up to my dad and told him I wanted to go to the Olympics.

"My ultimate aim is to be an Olympic champion."

With that in mind, hopefully one day soon people will be saying to Aaron Lennon: "What's it like being Leigh Lennon's cousin?"