Three cheers for England as bus company advisor wins bronze at world championships

The newest and youngest member among the Customer Experience Advisors at First York has returned from the United States with an achievement that has got everyone at the bus company cheering.

Tia England, 19, is back at work this week after helping England win bronze at the International Cheerleading Union World Championships in Orlando, Florida.

Tia, who lives in Strensall, was part of a 20-strong adaptive abilities team which comprises athletes with physical and hidden disabilities together with able-bodied. She said: “It was a really tough division to say the least and you only get once chance to deliver the routine.”

Tia has a condition known as Essential Tremor which causes her hands to shake involuntarily due to disorder in her central nervous system which she has had since early childhood.  It is controlled with medication and hasn’t prevented her from reaching the top level in her sport.

The England team triumphed in the Style Pom which involves performing a routine to specially-composed music lasting two minutes and choreographed with skills, turns, technical elements while also focusing on powerful motions, visuals and unity.

As seems to happen so often when England are competing at elite tournaments, Tia and her team-mates were drawn in the same group as home nations, seeing off challenges by Scotland and Wales to secure a place on the podium.

“I have been fortunate enough to be in the England team since 2019 but due to the pandemic, this is the first year I’ve competed with them at the world championships but I’m so grateful to have spent three years on the team, learning and growing,” added Tia.

She joined First York last September after attending Huntington School but had some knowledge of how the bus company operates as her dad is a driver.

Tia said: “It’s something completely different to other jobs I’ve had in catering and retail. There’s colleagues of all age groups in the business and it’s nice to work with range of people with other experience.”

First York’s eight CEAs will be seen across the city from next week as they evolve their role from the Park & Ride network to supporting customers at interchanges with information on timetables, bus routes and places of interest. The bus operator is also keen to expand the team and is now recruiting for more CEA roles, both full-time and part-time.  

Alongside her weekly training for England, Tia is also a member of Fantasy Cheer and Dance in York, where she has attended classes since the age of 10. She has won many national titles and the team are hoping to secure a place at the All-Star World Championships after competing in the national championships in June.

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