A hi-tech electric wheelchair will help Coronation Street actress Cherylee Houston rekindle childhood memories of her running days at the Great Manchester Run.

Cherylee, who plays factory worker Izzy Armstrong in the soap, and friend Monique Jarrett will each use specially-designed Segways to get them round the 10k course on Sunday, May 22 with more than 30,000 other entrants.

The pair are raising funds to help set up a drama theatre group in Manchester for adults with disabilities. Cherylee’s partner, comedian Toby Hadoke, is also taking part.

Cherylee has used a wheelchair since the age of 23 when she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder which affects joints and leaves sufferers in chronic pain.

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She said: “I loved running as a kid and this Segway will bring back that feeling of the wind rushing through my hair. It’ll give me that sense of speed in my body which you don’t feel in a normal wheelchair.

“The machine is called Genny Mobility and is controlled with your core where I’ve got no strength, so it’ll be a test of endurance and extremely tiring but highly enjoyable hopefully.

Coronation Street actress Cherylee Houston

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“We’ll only go at a slow gentle pace, even though the chairs can go faster. The Great Manchester Run is a fabulous sporting occasion and it’ll be wonderful to experience the atmosphere and fulfilment like everyone else.”

Cherlyee, who made history as Corrie’s first disabled actress, and Monique, who works at Lancasterian School, Didsbury, are among a group of artists called Triple C, The Creative Confidence Collective, whose aim is to make theatre accessible for all.

Cherylee added: “Disabled people in Manchester are prisoners in their homes because of cuts to funds for out-of-house care. We want to hold a weekly community drama group for disabled people to give them back a little bit of their identity and a focus.

“Everyone has a right to social interaction but for a lot of disabled people this has been taken away. Theatre is a powerful tool which can increase confidence and self-expression.”

To donate go to crowdfunding.justgiving.com/TripleC

To enter the Great Manchester Run on Sunday, May 22, go to www.greatrun.org/Manchester

Online entries before 10 am on Tue May 17 will be posted out and those entering after then and before the deadline of 10 am on Fri May 20 can collect their entry packs from customer info points.