Tributes paid to teenager Isla Cochrane who died in Girton crash

The family of a teenager who died in a collision while cycling near Girton say they will “always remember her kindness, unconstrained outlook and fantastic style”.

Isla Cochrane, 14, of Lawrence Close, Girton, was riding her bicycle in Oakington Road when it was in collision with a silver Mini Cooper at about 8.20pm on Saturday (September 10). Paramedics attended and Isla was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, but died of her injuries.

Paying tribute to Isla, her family 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.”

Isla was a student at The Perse in Cambridge and the school community has been left devastated by her death.

Head Ed Elliott said: “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.”

The driver of the Mini Cooper, a man in his 20s, was unhurt and remained at the scene.

Detective Inspector Garry Webb, from the serious collision unit, appealed for witnesses, dashcam footage or anyone who saw the vehicle in the moments leading up to the collision to get in touch.

Contact police via their web chat service at https://bit.ly/3vsiYDw quoting incident 443 of 10 September. Anyone without internet access should call 101.