A LUCKY young girl got the chance to explore the home of the Prime Minister at their Christmas lights switch on.

Eight-year-old Lily Houghton, of Tiptree, was invited along with 50 other children to Downing Street on Wednesday last week to meet UK Prime Minister Theresa May, have a tour of the building and watch the Christmas lights being switched on.

Lily was born with a defect in one of her heart valves, needing open heart surgery and requires a wheelchair for long journeys due to her left leg not growing properly.

However, this has not stopped Lily, who goes to St Luke’s Church of England Primary School, from working hard and enjoying life.

The Essex-based charity Wipe Away Those Tears, who care for terminally and seriously ill children, helped fund Lily’s latest wheelchair, and were invited to Downing Street on Wednesday December 6, along with three families they had helped.

Lily and her family were given a tour of the building and how it works before being introduced to the Prime Minister, then taking part in carol singing outside before watching the lights being turned on.

Kate Houghton, Lily’s mother, said: “Lily is a wonderful young girl who is incredibly articulate with so much to say.

“The visit was a lovely experience, we all did meet Mrs May, but it was a fleeting introduction.

“But it was so nice to meet all the other families that Wipe Away Those Tears have helped. They’ve been so great with us and it’s wonderful to see how their work changes the lives of other families.

“They’re a family run business themselves, I don’t think they want to carry on doing it forever, so they may look for some new people to take over at some point in the future.”

Wipe Away Those Tears was set up in 2006 by Jason O’Shea with the aim of raising money from a Summer Ball each year.

Martin Moriarty, head teacher for St Luke’s, said: “Lily is a lovely young girl who works incredibly hard and absolutely loves coming to school.

“She’s very eager to learn and is incredibly resilient in coping with her heart defect.

“We’ve always been proud of her and she’s a pleasure to have in our school.”

Visit www.wipeawaythosetears.org.