Disabled Milton Keynes woman 'written off' by doctors at birth is awarded British Empire Medal aged 81

Valerie Williamson, who is 82 next month, has filled her days with volunteer work ever since she retired from her job in a bakery office 22 years ago.

She is currently a trustee and volunteer for the city's Centre for Integrated Living (CIL), which provides free and confidential information and help to people with a disability and their families or carers. At least three days a week are filled to the brim working there.

Yet when she was born in Northampton, prematurely, weighing just 2.5lb and with brain damage from a difficult breach delivery, her parents were told at first that she was dead.

"But I'm still here to tell the tale," she said.

Valerie was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She couldn't walk until she was 10 so she crawled everywhere instead. But when she reached school age, official told her parents "it was not worth it" to send her to school and be educated.

"I did go to school. And I passed the 11 plus exam. And the comment was 'My God, she's got a brain'. Because you were spastic you were thought to be a 'mental retard' in those days. "

In grammar school, Valerie decided she wanted to be a surgeons in the Wrens.

"I was on crutches, couldn't walk and had calipers.. The careers advisor suggested I should either become a nun or go into the civil service, neither of which appealed to me."

Valerie studied maths, biology and chemistry at A Level but was then told that due to her physical instability and lack of balance, she was not fit to take the practical exams in science.

"I walked out of school in a fit of temper," she said.

Determined to live as "normal" a life as possible, Valerie found office work that used her scientific background, lived independently in lodgings and later married the man of her dreams, Bernard.

She discovered archery and became so skilled that she competed for Britain in the 1980 Paralympics, winning a silver and bronze medals. To this day she is honorary president of the Newport Pagnell Archery Club.

"In the days of 1980, we were looked upon as people with disabilities trying to do sport. By the year 2000, Paralympic athletes were recognised as athletes with a disability - and that's a very different way of looking at it."

Widowed Valerie, who lives in Newport Pagnell, now uses a wheelchair, but her motto is still 'There is no such word as can't'.

She is modest about her medal, which was announced in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, and flatly refuses to be proud or to brag.

"I'm just me..To me I have lived a life that is normal... What have I really got to be proud of? The fact that I'm here when I wasn't meant to live."

The city's Living Archive project has produced a special video of Valerie speaking about her life. You can watch it above this story.