A disability campaigner who works with children and their families has been named in the New Year’s Honours list.

Lizzie Baily, 39, helps produce a newsletter to help youngsters with additional needs and their families. She also runs arts and crafts workshops for children and "Wheely Wonders" forest activities days.

Having helped people for more than 20 years, Lizzie has now been rewarded with an MBE.

Lizzie, from Sidlesham near Chichester, said: “I was absolutely flabbergasted because I received an email but it had gone into my junk, so I nearly missed it.

“It’s absolutely incredible to receive it for something that I do because I love it. To be recognised for that is overwhelming.

“I definitely want to thank my colleagues at Wellspring, I think everyone is going to be shocked but delighted and I’m hoping it will raise awareness for the charity.”

Lizzie, who is a lifelong wheelchair user after being born with congenital muscular dystrophy, joined the charity Wellspring when she was 16, going on to take the chairwoman and newsletter editor role when she was 18.

Since then, she has helped to set up art workshops for people of varying needs as well as her Wheely Wonders events which include forest activities for those with additional needs as well as arts and crafts.

Lizzie estimates that she has helped more than 2,000 people, with over 70 families regularly interested in her events currently.

She said she “enjoys it so much” and gets to “meet so many wonderful people”.

The Argus: Lizzie on her Wheely Wonders daysLizzie on her Wheely Wonders days (Image: Lizzie Bailey)

She added: “Through the creative arts workshops we meet so many inspiring families.”

As part of her work, Lizzie was also one of the faces of the Disability Confident campaign in 2013 which promoted the employment of people with disabilities.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she undertook a fundraising challenge to provide support for the NHS by completing 100 outdoor swims, raising over £2,300 for the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

Lizzie received her MBE for services to disability advocacy and charity in West Sussex.