KARATE star Lily-May Bedford has been nominated for a Proud of Barnsley award by her sister for her enthusiasm, determination and sporting achievement in the martial art.
Lily-May, 11, has been practising with Barnsley Shukokai Karate since she was seven and has won dozens of awards in the past five years.
Her sister Hannah Park, 23, said that Lily-May is a role model to young people.
Hannah said: “A lot of people don’t participate, or don’t like participating, in sport.
“She goes to classes and she helps the younger ones to get involved.”
Lily-May, who ‘eats, sleeps and breathes’ karate according to her older sister, will be part of the England juniors team that heads to Finland in August to compete in the Helsinki Open.
She won a bronze medal in the tournament last year, her first for England.
Hannah said her sister wants to go to the Olympics in the future - and even own her own karate dojo.
She added: “She started going to ballet when she was five years old, and she hated it.
“She watched the film The Karate Kid on TV and said to her mum that she wanted to do that.
“Ever since then it has just come really naturally to her.”
