Diagnosed with Tourette's at just eight years old, Carshalton girl Katya Davidson-Redwood has found the disorder tough to deal with.

Her grandmother, Sharon Crayden, said Katya has had a difficult time learning to accept it.

"Her school friends have started to notice her tics," Mrs Crayden said.

"She didn't really want to try and explain it to her classmates, but we're trying to get to a stage where she can talk to people about it."

So as a family, they started handing out leaflets to try and help Katya come out of her shell.

And that it did.

Katya decided she wanted to go a step further than just handing out leaflets.

So she came up with the idea of walking the Wandle Trail on June 16 to raise awareness and money for charity Tourettes Action.

"The reason why I chose the Wandle is because I am studying it at school and I'm finding it fascinating and school is where my friends are just noticing my tics," Katya said.

"This is where I want to bring the two things together."

Her family couldn't be prouder.

"It started as a confidence booster and to show her Tourette's isn't a bad thing, that it's not something to be ashamed of," Mrs Crayden said.

"Now she has invited all her friends to the walk and has already raised so much for the charity."

Katya started out with a modest goal of raising £100 for the charity, but she quickly reached that target and has now surpassed £600.

To donate to Katya's cause, you can visit her JustGiving page here.