AN AYR teenager scooped the Young Athlete of the Year prize in last week’s Ayrshire Sportsability Ball.

Elle McCreadie was the winner of the prestigious award for displaying exceptional qualities in disability sport (under 18 years).

Elle has been blind since birth and lives with a condition called Lebers Congenital Amaurosis which means that her retina did not develop as it should have.

But her condition has not kept her back as she has competed in numerous swimming galas with SAST in the last two years and has collected almost 40 medals in that time.

The Sportsability Ball was the 15th annual event which not only celebrates Ayrshire’s best in disability sports, but also raises money to the charity.

This year, a record £11,000 was raised. Delighted winner Elle said: “I’m really happy to have received this award, it means so much to me because Ayrshire Sportsability have always supported me in my swimming career, including sponsorship, great galas and events.

I have been involved in Sportsability from a very young age, attending the have-a-go days at the Magnum, the Citadel and Ayrshire Athletics Arena. “I’d like to thank all my coaches and team members at SAST for all their help and support too.

I had a great time at the Charity Ball and hope to return again soon.”

Dr Waiyin Hatton, Chair of Ayrshire Sportsability, said: “Huge congratulations to our winners and finalists for their achievements and inspiration.

And we raised a record £11,000 to continue our ambitious disability sports activities.

“On behalf of the Ayrshire Sportsability Board, I would like to thank Ayrshire College, East Ayrshire Council, KA Leisure, North Ayrshire Council and the University of the West of Scotland for sponsoring the Awards. Special thanks to all our guests, sponsors, supporters and volunteers, who made the event a stunning success.”

South Ayrshire Council also picked up an award, winning the Activity in the Community Award for making a difference over the year in delivering sports to people with a disability.

To find out more about Ayrshire Sportsability, visit www. ayrshiresportsability.org.uk.