International Endurance Award
A member of the 40th Girls' Brigade company, which is affiliated to Manorhamilton Methodist and Church of Ireland churches, has received a prestigious international award from the organisation.
Eleven year old Leesa Flynn, who was born with the condition Spina Bifida, received the Girls' Brigade's International  endurance Award in front of a large crowd of family and friends at a ceremony in the Bee park community centre in Manorhamilton last December.
Leesa became only the second Irish winner of the award, which is awarded to members of the global organisation who have overcome obstacles in their personal lives with courage and dignity. Despite her physical disability, Leesa can walk with the aid of a walking frame, participate in virtually every Girls' Brigade exercise and is a huge inspiration to her fellow members.
Speaking to the Leitrim Post, local Girls' Brigade Captain, Shirley Hewston, outlined the reasons why she nominated Leesa for the award: "I nominated Leesa for her courage in facing many personal challenges in her life. She's a bubbly little girl, nothing fazes her. She gets stuck in and doesn't view her disability as an insurmountable obstacle."
The International Endurance Award was presented to Leesa by the President of the Irish Girls' Brigade, Ms Joan Darling