REBECCA Delap is enjoying more independence after her community raised £10,000 to buy her a new wheelchair.

The seven-year-old has a condition that means her muscles do not develop, but still attends Greenland Community Infant School in South Moor, near Stanley, County Durham.

She has outgrown her last motorised wheelchair and the school and wider community has spent nearly two years raising the cash for a new one.

Gail Wilson, deputy head at Greenland and trustee of the Rebecca Delap Fund, said: "Her little face just said it all when she got it - it was like Christmas and her birthday rolled into one. She beamed from ear to ear.

"She has already been to the library and to Asda in it, under her own steam and while the weather is nice, she can get to and from school with it as well. She has already got up to warp speed and hit the piano."

Rebecca, of Severn Terrace, South Moor, has arthrogryposis - a condition that affects the joints - and was born without properly-developed limbs.

The new wheelchair should last her until she is about 16. Her mother, Linda, said it had made a huge difference already.

She said: "It is a lot faster, she can get to more places and has much more independence. She used to need my help for things like going to the toilet and getting in the bath, now she can go by herself."

Parents and staff held a series of events to raise cash and were helped by fundraising from Stanley School of Technology, the biking fraternity, Stanley Lions, Oxhill Youth Club, Happy Shopper, Asda, Spillers and Wensley Roofing.