Christina's flame of hope

A special moment for 15-year-old Christina Loosemore from the Isle of Wight. Christina, who has cerebral palsy, lives in Shanklin. She carried the Olympic Torch through Carisbrooke. She has just completed a charity walk of more than seven miles for a local hospice. As well as her sporting acheivements she assists the local authority in interviewing for the 'Aiming High' project and, alongside her brother, formulated a DVD to assist planning services for disabled people on the Isle of Wight. Her younger brother also has cerebral palsy and she has been inspriational in helping him to set up a disabled football team. She attends mainstream school and is loved and respected by all who know her and always has time to help anybody with anything that is needed. A friend said: "On a recent school trip she climbed a pole and did the leap off faith to show a worried child that it was safe ! Christina is a 'whizz kidz' ambassador and is always eager to promote what disabled young people can achieve and never thinks about what they can't do. Christina is thoughtful and kind and will always be an inspiration to everyone who knows her."