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The tree surgeon who races cars in her spare time

Jake Liggett
BBC News NI
BBC Letisha Conn is sitting in the drivers seat of a rally car, she is holding the gear stick with one hand. She is wearing a pink helmet and glasses. Another car can be seen out of the drivers window. She is also wearing navy and green over all's. She is sitting in a black seat with white writing. The car also has a roll cage within its interior. BBC
Letisha Conn started rallying when she was a teenager

An Armagh tree surgeon who races cars in her spare time says the job is "not as scary as you'd imagine".

Letisha Conn, 20, from Newtownhamilton in County Armagh joined her father's tree surgery business in 2023 and has since become a full-time tree surgeon.

And this is not the first time she has followed in her father Stephen's footsteps.

She grew up watching him race rally cars, and in 2021 - at the age of 16 - she made history becoming the first girl to take an outright win on a Junior Rally in any UK Junior Rally Championship.

Letisha Conn A person is in the middle of a tree. They are attached to the tree with ropes. They are also wearing protective clothing. The sky behind the tree is bright blue with white clouds. There are more trees in the background. There is 3 electric cables behind the tree. She is smiling at the camera.Letisha Conn
Letisha is a full time tree surgeon at Armagh Tree Surgery

Storm Éowyn challenges

Letisha's journey into the family business began when she started giving her dad a hand during the school holidays and throughout the summer break.

She decided becoming a tree surgeon was the career for her after leaving college.

"I was enjoying the work, so I decided to stick at it," she said.

One of the main challenges she and other tree surgeons face is working from dizzying heights, but despite this she said the job is "a lot safer" than people imagine.

The variety of work that comes with being a tree surgeon is something that attracted her to the role.

"Everyday there is something new," she told BBC News NI.

The level of damage caused by Storm Éowyn was a new experience for a newly-qualified tree surgeon as she saw "so much damage after the storm".

Despite the challenges she said "it has been a really good learning curve".

Letisha Conn A blonde, long-haired woman smiles at the camera while holding an orange chainsaw. She is wearing a half zip jumper in red and black and is wearing a pair of black glasses.Letisha Conn
At the tender age of 20, Letisha has ventured into two male dominated worlds

'Ease back into the seat'

Rallying has also been in Letisha's blood.

"I was seven when my dad got me my first go kart," she said.

She started rallying competitively when she turned 13, and in 2024 she competed in the Ulster Rally alongside her father; the pair took to the course in their red BMW.

Things did not go according to plan with the pair experiencing an overshoot that left Letisha with a nasty shoulder injury.

"You are so in the zone you don't even notice how dangerous it actually is," she said.

Her plan for 2025 is to "ease back into the seat" after the injuries, this will see Letisha "do as many rounds of the Northern Ireland championship as possible".

Dad is 'my biggest supporter'

Armaghi A blonde woman stands in a strapless black dress stands beside a bearded man with a blue jumper on - they are at the armagh i people of the year awards Armaghi
Letisha is proud to follow in dad Stephen's footsteps

The two worlds Letisha finds herself in would typically have been seen as male dominated, but that has not put her off.

If anything, it has made her even more determined.

"Everyone has been very friendly, I've never had any bother, it's been nothing but good attention".

She said she is "proud" to be following in her father's footsteps with both tree surgery and rally driving.

"He has been my biggest support, I don't think I'll ever be able to thank him enough," she added.