Fundraising 11-year-old becomes youngest MBE

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.

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.

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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