NPark

Published at 00:00, Wednesday, 28 November 2007

A COURAGEOUS young lady from Ulverston has won a prestigious award.

Milly Pyne will be honoured at the Woman’s Own Children of Courage Awards 2007 in a star-studded ceremony at Westminster Abbey next month.

Before that, nine-year-old Milly will meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Born with a genetic condition called Crouzon’s syndrome – where the bones in her skull and face fused at birth – Milly hasn't let her condition get her down.

But earlier this year, surgeons performed an operation where they split her skull and fixed a metal head brace to stretch it.

During the 13 weeks Milly spent recovering in hospital, she wrote a story called My Life At Great Ormond Street, which is set to be published in a book to benefit the hospital.

Her good deeds didn’t stop there, and last month Milly raised hundreds of pounds by holding a Jeans for Genes fund-raiser.

Milly was nominated for the Children of Courage award by family friends Jan and Paul Dodds, who now live in Poole, Dorset.

Her mum, Vicky Pyne, of Rake Lane, said: “People used to stare at Milly and some adults were just as bad as the kids.

“But Milly has proved that she’s better than all of them. In spite of everything that she’s been through, and having to deal with the unkind reactions of others, she remains a ray of sunshine.”

Ten children from across the UK are set to receive an award.

Every one of them has shown courage in the face of hardship and performed acts of bravery.

The awards were judged by Baroness Massey, Karen Livermore, editor of Woman’s Own, Natasha Cook, deputy editor of Woman’s Own, and GMTV’s Fiona Phillips, Andrew Castle and Richard Arnold.

The youngsters, aged between six and 13, will receive their awards at Westminster Abbey on December 12, and then be guests of honour at a special reception at the House of Lords.

Before arriving at Westminster Abbey, the winners will meet the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street.

Woman’s Own editor, Ms Livermore, said: “Woman’s Own Children of Courage has become a national institution and this year – its 34th – we’re celebrating 10 more incredibly brave children from across the UK.

“Every one of our winners has shown huge determination and immense courage in the toughest of times and they’re an absolute inspiration to us all.”

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk