TWO sisters with a rare and life-threatening skin condition are on the campaign trail trying to win national recognition for a charity that has supported them.

Emma and Stacey Picken shed their skin every day after being born with lamellar ichthyosis, which affects just one in 200,000 people.

The brave teenagers, from Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, need to be smothered in cream every day to make their condition bearable.

Despite this, the pair have full and enjoyable lives.

Emma, 19, is a budding artist and hopes to go to university next year and 17-year-old Stacey is taking a childcare course and would like to work as a teaching assistant.

Emma said: "Our ichthyosis is a part of us and always will be.

“Although sometimes we hate it, and it gives us grief from other people, we've accepted it and we’re not going to let ichthyosis get in the way of our dreams.”

Having received help from the Ichthyosis Support Group (ISG), a small charity that supports sufferers in the UK, Emma and Stacey hope to return the favour by promoting it for a major award.

The charity needs public votes to be crowned best health project award in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which will be televised in September.

“The Ichthyosis Support Group has been a great help for us, they helped my parents when we were younger and also helped us.

“Through the fun days they organise every year, it helps us feel like we're normal for the day, and also feel like we're not alone.

“We've been a couple of times, and from that we made friends and learnt how other people the same age as us cope.

“So we're thankful for the ISG as they've helped us a lot,” added Emma.

Actor John Barrowman, presenter of The National Lottery Awards, said: “National Lottery funding helps transform communities and changes lives for the better.

“I would urge everyone to get behind ISG so they get national recognition for their invaluable contribution to society.”

There are seven categories in the awards to reflect the main areas of Lottery funding- arts, sport, heritage, health, environment, education and voluntary/charity.

To vote visit the website lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards.