A BRAVE Darwen girl rode in style with her teachers after winning a competition to swap the school bus for a limousine.

Kia Shaw, 10, suffers from a rare genetic disorder and won a chauffeured lift to Holy Trinity Primary School yesterday.

The year six pupil chose to take four members of staff along for the ride, as well as three of her friends.

Kia said: “It was a really nice surprise when I heard I’d be going in a limousine with the teachers as they are my best friends.

“They’ve always been really nice to me and I love going to school.”

Kia has Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, a condition that stops the immune system from working. There are only about 50 families affected in the United Kingdom and it can potentially be fatal.

Carol Halligan, Kia’s mum, said she was really happy to see her daughter enjoying herself so much.

She said: “It was emotional and she hid behind me crying with joy when the limousine pulled up. As they drove off you could hear them all having a great time.

“Kia doesn’t realise how bad her condition is and doesn’t dwell on it.

“There’s never a dull moment though and she’s such a happy child.”

Fellow pupils Jodie Fowler, 10, Kira Billington, 11, and Ben Shorrock, 10, together with headteacher Mark Standen, year five teacher Carol Knight, teacher Julia Pearson, and support worker Cath Fox filled the stretched limo.

The journey began at the family home, in Starkey Street, at 8am yesterday, before arriving at the Bank Top school in time for the first lesson of the day.

Mrs Knight said: “It was brilliant inside the limousine.

"Kia was in her element listening to her favourite CDs and waving at all the kids as we drove past.

"She is an inspiration to the other pupils and will be sorely missed when she leaves for St Wilfrid’s High School in September.”

Kia entered a monthly competition with Jet Set Limousines to win the trip.

For information about Shwachman-Diamond syndrome go to the website below.