A MUM and daughter who have both learned to live with a debilitating bone disease believe that others can benefit from their experience.

So they teamed up on the catwalk to make a stylish statement about their condition - and proudly paraded in front of a very special audience.

Sheila Belk, and 16-year-old Jennifer, of Manchester Road, Tytherington, who both suffer from osteoporosis, were the stars of a high-profile modelling show at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London.

And there they met Camilla Parker-Bowles - whose mother and grandmother both suffered from the disease.

Jennifer, who wants to be a nurse when she leaves Tytherington High School, enjoyed being a model for the day.

"It was a good bit of fun," she said. "We also met Camilla Parker-Bowles, and she was really lovely."

Mum Sheila, 42, said: "It was very brave of her to go on the catwalk. I was nervous myself with all the bright lights."

They were both pleased to take part in the show, which was organised by the National Osteoporosis Society to raise awareness of the disease.

Jennifer has a rare case of idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis - an imbalance in her blood which weakens the bones by destroying bone cells.

So far during her life, her delicate skeleton has suffered no less than 14 bone fractures.

At five she sustained a hairline crack in her skull when she fell off a wall. But she wasn't diagnosed for another five years, when she fractured her femur and spine.

"I was in hospital for ten weeks, and I was in a lot of pain," said Jennifer.

Since then, she has had to live with some essential life changes.

Regular exercise and a balanced diet both help strengthen Jennifer's frame - but she must also endure a four-hour intravenous drug treatment every three months.

"They all know me at the hospital," said Jennifer. "They say, 'It's Jennifer back again.'

"I have got used to the treatment now, so it doesn't bother me - I just sit and do my homework.

"The way of life doesn't stop me doing anything. I can pretty much do what I want. But it is always at the back of your mind."

One in three women will suffer a fracture in their lifetime as a result of osteoporosis, as will one in 12 men.

In 1997, the Government and the NHS spent an estimated £940m on treating the disease - even though many cases can be avoided through education.

Sheila, 42, who runs the East Cheshire Osteoporosis Group, didn't find out that she suffered from the disease until she was 36.

"I had always suspected that my bones weren't very good," she said. "But I had to give up nursing because I had a bad back."

Her group meets from 7pm until 9pm at the Bupa Regency Hospital in Macclesfield, on the last Wednesday of each month (excluding July, August and December). New members are welcome to attend.

Sheila added: "There must be a lot of women in Macclesfield who have osteoporosis and who would benefit from learning more about it."