RUTH Madeley is just 12 years old but already she is an ambassador. Ruth is one of 14 disabled youngsters across the country who actively campaigns on behalf of Whizz Kidz - the group for 'non mobile' children. A pupil at Mount St Joseph School, Farnworth, Ruth was born with spina bifida.

Her parents got to hear about Whizz Kidz when Ruth was just five years old and they were searching for a lightweight wheelchair.

Since then, the Westhoughton schoolgirl has raised money, actively campaigned on behalf of fellow members and even sits on the management board of the charity.

Just two weeks ago, she was selected to join the audience in the Live and Kicking TV show and she has already made numerous appearances on TV and radio - not to mention newspapers!

After her recent TV appearance, Ruth cheered on competitors in the London Marathon, including the family GP Dr Malcolm Brown who was featured in the BEN just days before this year's race.

Though recovering from major surgery to straighten her back, Ruth has organised a Christmas carol service at Manchester Cathedral in December.

And in November, she raised £325 for Whizz Kidz by running a tombola and raffle at her grandmother's church fair in Manchester.

Like hundreds of other children up and down the country, Whizz Kidz has enabled Ruth to lead as comfortable a life as possible.

It was the charity which provided her with her first wheelchair at the age of five and it's only now, seven years on, that she is changing it for a more modern, lightweight version.

A keen musician, artist and cook, Ruth is actively supporting the charity's current efforts to enrol competitors in this year's New York marathon.

If you can raise £1,500 for the charity it will provide you with a free flight to New York, a free helicopter flight over Manhattan, a training weekend, training runs and monthly newsletters plus a free pair of trainers and training kit, free entry into the marathon and pre and post race festivities.

The deadline for registration is Friday, June 11, so if you want to benefit from the experience of a lifetime and help non mobile children, call Whizz Kidz on 0171 233 6600 and talk to one of the marathon advisors.

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