A SCHOOLGIRL from North Yorkshire will be among only 20 young people from across the world to receive a special Diana Award from Princes William and Harry today.

Jemima Browning,16, goes to Tadcaster Grammar School and is due to sit her chemistry GCSE exam in London this morning ahead of an awards ceremony at St James' Palace where she will meet the two princes and receive a Diana Legacy Award, set up in memory of their mother in the twentieth anniversary year of her death.

York Press:

The Press has featured Jemima and her brother, Will, 14, who has Down's Syndrome, several times before and coverage formed part of the school's award application.

The pair are on the European Youth Activation Committee representing the Special Olympics in Great Britain because of their involvement with Play Unified, an organisation which joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports team.

When she was just 15, Jemima, from Stutton near Tadcaster, set up the Stingrays swimming club in Tadcaster which helps improve the lives of people with disabilities and she has set up a dance group for students at school with and without disabilities.

Jemima said: "My brother is my inspiration and has enriched my life and taught me so much about what it means to be disabled and how we should never put limits on what individuals can achieve."

York Press:

Her head teacher, Martyn Sibley, who accompanied the siblings on a trip to give a speech at the House of Lords last month on disability in sport, said: “This is an incredibly prestigious award and Jemima is a worthy recipient. She works tirelessly, passionately and completely selflessly to raise the profile of disability sports and to give everyone an equal opportunity.

“It has been a pleasure to have been a small part of Jemima’s journey.

"She is committed to supporting an inclusive society and we have to remember that she has been able to balance all of this with school work and preparation for GCSE examinations, even sitting an examination in London on the day of the Award ceremony. Jemima is an inspiration to us all. We are extremely proud of all her achievements and congratulate her on receiving The Diana Legacy Award.”

At the palace, Jemima will join youngsters from across the UK, Canada, the USA and India getting the award.