BRAVE Hayley Blackburn has won a special "asthma achievement" award for sport.

The plucky 11-year-old successfully achieved her ambition to play netball at school.

Hayley's success was a major feat for her as she suffers from very severe asthma and eczema.

Her mum, 37-year-old Sue, was so proud of her daughter that she entered her for the award, organised by the National Asthma Campaign, and was delighted when she won.

Hayley, from Tyldesley, joined 30 other children with asthma from all over the United Kingdom, at an award ceremony and party at Birmingham's International Convention Centre as part of this year's National Asthma Week.

She was presented with her award by three celebrities, Judy Simpson, alias Gladiator Nightshade, actress Kellie Bright from the comedy series The Upper Hand and Lesley Duff from the TV series Castles.

Hayley has suffered from asthma and eczema for many years and has been in and out of hospital.

Her eczema was so severe, shortly before she was picked to play netball at Garret Hall Primary in Tyldesley, that she could hardly walk.

"It was a big achievement for her because she had been so poorly. Her immune system had been almost destroyed and she had lost a lot of her hair," said Sue. Hayley is now a pupil at Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley and copes well with her illness.

National Asthma Campaign chief executive, Melinda Letts, said: "We received lots of entries for the awards. Hayley's achievement demonstrates that asthma doesn't have to stop you from living life to the full and that you can be an achiever, despite having asthma."

Sue and her 37-year-old husband, Kevin, have three other children, Kelly, 17, six-year-old Fay and Ashley, three. Both Fay and Ashley also have asthma.

Sue is involved with an eczema support group at the Manchester Skin Hospital in Salford, which meets every other month.

The next meeting is on Wednesday November 8 at 8pm and anyone with an interest is welcome to attend. Sue can be contacted on 01942 879484.

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