A TEENAGER who is setting up a charity to raise awareness of the blood disease that has almost crippled her mother is Cirencester's Young Citizen of the Year 2012.

Amy-May Knowles, 16, was selected for the title in a competition run jointly by Cirencester Rotary Club, the Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard and the Bingham Library Trust.

A pupil at Kingshill School, among Amy-May's numerous contributions to her community are setting up a charity for Critical Response Pain Syndrome, a condition that has left her mother without the use of one of her legs, and serving as chairman of Cirencester Youth Town Council.

As a member of the youth town council she has been involved in organising a music festival for all ages next July, as well as planning a young people's cafe and a skills exchange garage and working with the town council to organise a weekly community cinema project.

Amy-May is a Bromford Support customer and was nominated for the award by the housing group's Clare Bartlett, who works as a neighbourhood relations advisor/youth information officer for Cirencester Town Council .

Clare said she was very proud of the way Amy-May had grown as a person during the last 18 months and she thoroughly deserved the award.

A delighted Amy-May said: "It means a lot to me and certainly has given me confidence to progress with ideas I would like to see happen.

"I was shocked that I won. I didn't think I stood a chance against the other finalists because they were all doing amazing things on their own."

She added that she was very grateful to Clare for her help and support and to the Rotary Club for running the competition.

She wins a trophy, a £100 cheque and £500 from the Bingham Library Trust to be spent on her education. She plans to train as a physiotherapist so that she can help people like her mother cope with illness and disability.

Chairman of the judging panel, Mike Lumb, of Cirencester Rotary Club, said the judges had been staggered by the achievements and selflessness of every one of the finalists and that Amy-May was a worthy winner.

The other finalists were Shannon Belson, 15; Frances Hopkins, 14; Jac Lilley, 15; Cameron MacGregor, 14, and Charlie McQueen, 15, who each received a certificate.

The prizes were presented by Cirencester mayor Cllr Andrew Lichnowski at a ceremony last week in the Bingham Gallery.