A TEN-year-old girl suffering from a rare chromosome disorder has raised £500 for a charity that has helped her and her family.

Olivia Taylor, from Bedale, has severe learning disabilities, epilepsy, auditory processing problems and visual perception difficulties.

She has been supported by the Rare Chromosome Disorder Support Group, known as Unique, which celebrates it 21st birthday this year.

To mark the occasion, Olivia swam 21 lengths at Bedale Leisure Centre over a four-week period.

Her mother, Pamela, said: "Every day things can be a real challenge for Olivia, but we try to overcome these as best as we can.

"Olivia loves to be in the water, and we thought that it would be a great idea to try to raise funds for this wonderful organisation with a swim.

"Olivia has her own style of swimming. Tightening muscles in her hips and in legs mean she cannot straighten or lift her legs to normal swimming position. Nevertheless, she gets from one end to the other.

"We are very proud of her achievements and thank all her generous sponsors."