CARING Rebecca Houghton is her mother's little angel and now she has been rewarded for putting other people's needs before her own.

For despite Rebecca being diagnosed as a diabetic 18 months ago, she has put her own problems to one side to care for her disabled mother, Gillian.

Now 11-year-old Rebecca, of Oban Drive, Blackburn, has won a British Diabetic Association's Young Achievers Award.

She won the Carers Award in the 10-12 category and now looks forward to an all-expenses paid trip to London for a glitzy award's ceremony at Planet Hollywood in June.

Rebecca, a pupil at Shadsworth Junior School in Blackburn, won a T-shirt, a blood sugar level monitor and a cheque for £300.

Gillian, who suffers from joint problems, said: "Rebecca has been absolutely fantastic.

"For someone of her age to find out she is a diabetic is very daunting and upsetting but she has taken everything in her stride.

"Nothing is too much trouble for her and she goes out of her way to help anyone.

"I am very proud of her and I'm very pleased she has been rewarded for her hard work because it is the least she deserves."

Gillian added: "Her grandmother is also a diabetic and when she received her blood sugar level machine she did not have a clue how to use it.

"But Rebecca went to visit her and showed her how the machine works.

"That is just one example of her caring nature."

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