Two years ago Ellie Aldridge lost the use of her legs due to several health problems.

Having been a dancer for 10 years, this could have stopped her from carrying on her passion.

Ellie Aldridge talks about her new dance venture

Instead, the 18-year-old has set up dance classes so she can carry on and share her love of dance with other people with disabilities.

Ellie lives with three conditions; chiari malformation, where the brain's cerebellum grows down towards the spine, scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine, and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, a group of disorders impacting connective tissues supporting the skin, bones, blood vessels, organs and tissues.

At the age of 16, her health deteriorated and she was left unable to walk. The 18-year-old said: "I'd been having seizures for a few years. Then I just woke up one morning and I couldn't feel my foot.

"We thought it could have been a migraine, so I decided to stay home from college that day. But I ended up having CPR and spent six weeks in the hospital.

"My mobility had just stopped and I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I had a lot of problems with my left arm as well which now I have regained use of. But my legs are still not working and I've not got any feeling."

Now, Ellie is launching Diz-Ability Dance Co so children who may find normal classes difficult have a place to dance.

Ellie has been inspired and helped by Chelsea Hill who runs the Rollettes dance classes in Los Angeles and promotes dancing with a disability to her huge social media following.

She said: "I noticed there were not any dance groups or really anything inclusive for people who have extra needs.

"So I decided to put together a dance group to give that opportunity to those people that can't really cope or physically can't keep up with mainstream classes.

"Sometimes it's difficult to express how you feel through words. I think that's what's so nice about dance and music, that it is an outlet to get things out that you don't quite know how to explain.

"The confidence it gives and just being in that atmosphere with the music and people having fun, making new friends and everybody being able to have that opportunity is great.

The Diz-Ability class will be run in a fully accessible venue for wheelchair users at Twydall Church Hall, Gillingham, and the first week of practice will be spent getting to know the dancers strengths and working on routines with participant's feedback.

Ellie has asked parents of children who attend the class to stay for the first session to make sure their child is settled.

She added: "I've tried very hard to educate myself on all of the different disabilities of the people who are coming have so that I can understand what their needs may be and the struggles that some of them may face to really adapt it and tailor it for each individual. I want to make it the best experience possible for them

"I really want to highlight that people have a lot more abilities within their disability than society really give them credit for.

"As someone that had dreams of being in the performance industry, that dream certainly changed after I became disabled, but I say don't let your disability hold you back.

"Don't let society's views on disabilities define how you live. Push those expectations and do what you want to do even if it's in a different, adapted way."

Classes started on May 4 and will run on Tuesday evenings at Twydall Church Hall, Gillingham. Classes for ages 5-15 will run from 5.30-6.15pm and ages 16+ from 6.15-7pm.

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