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Fundraising 11-year-old becomes youngest MBE

Curtis LancasterSouth of England
PA Media Carmela Chillery-Watson wearing a black coat and holding her medal after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Prince of Wales during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.PA Media
Carmela Chillery-Watson has raised thousands of pounds for charity

An 11-year-old fundraiser has become the youngest person to receive an MBE.

Carmela Chillery-Watson, from Dorset, has LMNA congenital muscular dystrophy - a progressive muscle-wasting condition.

She has walked and wheeled hundreds of miles, raising thousands of pounds for Muscular Dystrophy UK and Julia's House Hospice, often dressed in superhero costumes.

She met Prince William at Windsor Castle, where she was presented the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) medal.

PA Media Carmela Chillery-Watson wearing a shirt and waist coat and her medal on her chest. She is sat in a specialist chair speaking to Prince William who is wearing military uniform at Windsor Castle.PA Media
Prince William presented the honour to Carmela at Windsor Castle

Carmela, originally from Wiltshire, was diagnosed with the condition when she was just three.

Since then she has taken on 25 superhero-inspired fundraising and awareness campaigns.

Her Wonder Woman Walk in 2020 involved her walking 1km (0.6 miles) and wheeling a further 9km (1.6 miles) in her wheelchair every day for a month, covering 300km (186 miles) across 30 different locations in Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire and Surrey.

PA A smiling Carmela Chillery-Watson walking with two colourful spotty walking sticks. She is wearing a red long-sleeved Spiderman outfit beneath a Navy blue vest bearing the Julia's House charity logo.PA
Carmela has walked and wheeled hundreds of miles to raise money for charity

Last year she completed a 100-mile (161km) challenge along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.

Carmela also teaches exercises online to help others with disabilities and has helped people from as far away as Africa and the US.

The government believes Carmela is the youngest ever MBE, although its historical records are incomplete.

The previous record was held by Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, who was made an MBE in 2009, aged 14.

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