A BARNSLEY lass who sometimes has to use a wheelchair has won a medal in a nationwide dancing competition!
Hayley Davies, 16, of Hawshaw Lane, Hoyland, has had on and off mobility problems caused by the nerve disorder neuropathy for the last three years which means she has to use a wheelchair at times.
Hayley competed in the International Dance Teachers' Association (IDTA) nationwide competition at Blackpool Winter Gardens - and came away with the winner's medals for old time sequence dancing.
She trains at a dance school in Castleford and is studying beauty therapy at Barnsley College. She has physiotherapy and acupuncture to help treat her condition.
Mum Mandy, 44, said she couldn't be prouder.
She said: "Hayley started dancing aged seven but when she was 12 was diagnosed with neuropathic pain caused by nerve damage.
"We were told it resulted from an injury but no-one can remember Hayley having an injury.
"She struggles sometimes with her balance and going up and down stairs but dancing is her coping strategy. It's the way she takes her mind off the pain."
