A DISABILITY activist from Otley has received a prestigious award - and a letter from the Prime Minister.

Twenty one year old Chloe Tear has been presented with a Points of Light award in recognition of her outstanding voluntary work to raise awareness of cerebral palsy.

Former Prince Henry’s Grammar School student Chloe, now studying at Leeds Trinity University in Horsforth, is the creator of the award-winning Life as a Cerebral Palsy blog.

In a personal letter to Chloe to congratulate her on her Points of Light honour, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Your dedication to writing and volunteering is ensuring that the voices of disabled people are heard.

“You should feel very proud of reaching tens of thousands of people through your Life as a Cerebral Palsy student blog, and raising vital awareness of the issues facing disabled people.”

The Points of Light accolade and letter from Mrs May rounded off a successful 2018 for Chloe. Earlier in the year she had been included in The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List, which recognises the most influential disabled people in the UK.

She said: “To be awarded with a Point of Light for my volunteering work is unbelievable!

“It is such an honour to receive such a prestigious award and I cannot thank everyone enough for their support along the way.

“Being a disabled young adult has its challenges, yet I am very proud to be able to use my experiences to support, educate and empower others.

“I hope this is still the beginning of the work I do towards raise awareness for disability and I am excited to see what the future holds.”

Chloe’s blog, on which she writes about her own experiences living with disabilities, has had over 80,000 views and she has also written for 45 organisations including Scope, the Royal Institute of Blind People, Huffington Post, and the BBC.

She works closely with CP Teens, a charity founded by fellow Points of Light winner Ellie Simpson which supports teenagers and young people living with cerebral palsy and related illnesses.

Otley Ambassador Chloe is the 1080th winner of the Points of Light award, which has been developed in partnership with the Points of Light programme in the USA where former presidents are among the scheme’s public supporters.

There is a similar cross-party approach to the UK programme with MPs from different parties often presenting their constituents with their awards.