Young carer to play for England development side

A girl with a serious spinal condition and a young carer have both been selected for an England rugby development squad.

Megan and Chelsea, from Clevedon in Somerset, were selected for their county squad which involves players age 13 to 16 who have a chance of one day playing for more senior England sides.

Megan, 14, lives with a spinal condition which means she wears a back brace for 20 hours of the day, while Chelsea takes care of her younger autistic brother.

"Sport has become a way to get away from everything for me," Chelsea, 15, said.

The pair both play for the North Somerset Barbarians club.

Chelsea said that she does "a lot of things" like babysitting or cleaning up to help her brother but "it's worth it".

"At 10 I really noticed what my role was and I got into the young carers group," she sad.

Chelsea said her brother is non-verbal, but he has "so much energy" and is "fun to be around".

"Because it's all I've ever known I don't think of myself as any different from anyone else," Chelsea said.

Megan was diagnosed with hyperkyphosis, which means her spine is curved and she needs to wear the back brace and has undergone spinal fusion surgery.

"It's not dangerous to play rugby," she said.

"I get called a turtle by my friends, because when I'm running I dip my shoulder.

"I got bought a turtle teddy before my surgery in hospital."

She said she was back to playing rugby three months after her operation.

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