Yeovil long Covid patient delivers Downing Street petition

Emily went to Downing Street with her mum, Louise, and sister Grace

A nine-year-old Somerset girl who had to learn to walk again after developing "long Covid" has helped deliver a petition to Downing Street.

Emily contracted the virus last September and still relies on a walking stick.

She said the loss of mobility had left her "angry" and she was among a group calling for the government to do more.

In response, it said that £50m had been allocated to researching the long-term impacts of the disease.

'Amazing experience'

Emily, from Yeovil, was joined by dad Chris, mum Louise and her youngster sister Grace, six, when they visited Boris Johnson's central London residence on Friday.

She told BBC Points West: "It's been an amazing experience that not many people can witness and it is going to help loads of kids and families with long Covid."

Sammie set up Long Covid Kids after she and her daughter both caught the virus in March 2020

The family were delivering the petition with others affected by long Covid - which is defined as when someone is suffering symptoms of the virus 12 weeks on from initially contracting it.

They were supporting Dorset-based charity Long Covid Kids - which is calling on the government to "recognise" the problem of long Covid among children.

Air quality

The charity was founded by Sammie after she and her daughter fell ill with the virus.

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She said: "We're hoping that the prime minister recognises long Covid in children enough so he invests in indoor air quality being improved in schools to prevent other children from getting the same condition our children are living with."

Emily and her sister Grace in London on Friday

'Lasting impact'

The group is also calling for an education policy to support children living with long Covid, who struggle to study with symptoms like fatigue and brain fog.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said there is a "long lasting impact" of Covid for many.

They added: "We are backing our exceptional scientists with over £50m for research to better understand the long-term effects to ensure the right help and treatments are available for those who are battling long-term symptoms."

There are 119,000 children living with long Covid in the UK, 21,000 of whom have had symptoms for more than 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics.