On 3 December it is International Day of People with Disabilities and with that in mind we have chosen Cerrie Burnell as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

Cerrie is an author, actor and activist, best known for work on CBeebies, a role which has earned her critical recognition and a devoted fan base. She has broken down barriers, challenged stereotypes and overcome discrimination to become one of the most visible disabled presenters on kids’ TV. Alongside this Cerrie has worked closely with a number of charitable organisations linked to childhood and diversity, which she is passionate about.

She trained at Manchester Metropolitan School of Acting, her credits prior to CBeebies include Grange Hill where she played the role of Miss Green, Eastenders, The Bill, Comedy Lab, Holby City and many plays including Winged: a fairytale which she wrote and starred in.

Cerrie is also the author of 12 children’s books including Snowflakes, which she adapted for the stage with Oxford Playhouse in 2016 and the Harper series, which was a world book day title in 2016.

Her one woman show the Magical Playroom premiered at the Edinburgh fringe in 2013 and she has been listed by The Observer as one of the top 10 children’s presenters of all time.

She is a patron of Polka Theatre, London and The Story Museum in Oxford. She has been an author in residence at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and BookTrust.

In 2017, Cerrie was awarded an honorary degree for services to Media from The Open University and she became the BBC’s first ambassador for disability in June 2021.

Also in 2021 Cerrie came third in The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list.

To find out more about International Day of People with Disabilities see here https://idpwd.org/