An Irish woman who uses a wheelchair and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity is to be honoured in Cheshire tonight. Ms Helen Fitzgerald Larkin is to be invested as a Dame of the Order of St Gregory, one of the highest accolades of the Catholic Church.
An Irish junior showjumping champion on several occasions, she suffered a crushed spine in an international competition Nenagh when she was 16, which ended her career.
In 1989 she was honoured with an MBF in the Queen's Birthday Honours List and was Catholic Woman of the Year in England in 1991. Among her achievements was the raising of almost £200,000 for the Manchester Royal Infirmary Cancer Laser Appeal.
As a talented soprano she raised many more thousands of pounds singing at charity functions. She is the daughter of a leading Kilkenny horse breeder, Mr Frank Fitzgerald. Her uncle, Mr Bryan Marshall, was Queen Elizabeth's jockey and twice rode winners in the English Grand National.
She will receive her honour at a special Mass in the Holy Angels Church, Cheshire.