A disabled schoolgirl is celebrating the arrival of a new wheelchair provided by fundraisers from the video games industry.

Saheba Kadir, eight, who attends Beckford Primary School, in Dornfell Street, West Hampstead, received a flashy new pink electric wheelchair earlier this month courtesy of video games charity GamesAid.

Saheba, a keen Nintendo DS gamer, was born with muscular dystrophy – a degenerative condition which weakens her muscles and forces her to rely on a wheelchair.

The youngster was in desperate need of a new chair, having outgrown her old one.

She said: “I like the chair going up and down and laying back, and I get to keep it until I am 14! It’s bonkers crazy but cool that a person swam through a freezing cold jellyfish shark ocean to raise money for this.”

Each year, GamesAid harnesses thousands of gaming employees to raise cash for other charities to put to use.

Disability charity Action For Kids, in Tottenham Lane, Hornsey, won a share of the total amount raised by GamesAid this year and used it to provide Saheba with her shiny new wheels.

One of the fundraising gamers, Cat Channon, cycled from Cologne to Brighton, ran three marathons, then swam 12 miles from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar to Africa.

Saheba’s sister Toufa Kadir said: “Saheba had been waiting for a new chair because she’s very tall for her age and her old one was very tight, her legs were dragging along the floor and she just wasn’t very comfortable.

“The chair plays such a big part in Saheba’s life, she spends a lot of time in it and gets back and leg pains. When the chair plays up, breaks or isn’t comfortable, Saheba gets really upset and stressed.

“Thanks to GamesAid and Action For Kids it will make a huge difference to Saheba’s life. When someone is so completely dependent on a wheelchair, a good chair gives confidence, especially when they are out playing with friends.”

GamesAid trustee Terry Haynes, who ran the London Marathon to raise funds, said: “To see the difference the money will make to Saheba and her family is just fantastic.

“Saheba should be able to live her life like other children and the fact that the wheelchair will give her independence to just get out there and enjoy life is exactly what this is about.”

Action For Kids CEO Graham Duncan said: “For a young person like Saheba, the right wheelchair is essential. It allows her to play a full part in family life, enjoy being with friends and get the most out of school.

“The great people at GamesAid and all their fundraisers make this possible.”

For more information about GamesAid, visit gamesaid.org