A little girl born with one arm is looking forward to eating Christmas dinner and opening presents easily for the first time.

Little Thalia Coultas, eight, was born with one arm and grew up learning ways to do regular tasks using her elbow.

While she always had a "can-do" attitude, there were certain tasks Thalia found more difficult because of her disability - such as cutting up her food and opening wrapped presents."

Last November she became the youngest person in UK to be fitted with one of Openbionics' high-tech bionic 'hero arm' costing £13,000.

Kerrie says her "best day" was going to pick up the arm last year and Thalia managing to move it all by herself."

Despite being just seven she proved she had the skill to operate the arm - and used it to open her Christmas presents last year.

A year on, mum Kerrie Coultas, 41, said Thalia has started building up the muscles needed to operate the arm to do more complex tasks.

After spending a year practicing she is a dab-hand at cutting her own food up - which

she'll proudly show off on the 25th by slicing up her turkey independently.

Kerrie said each year as Thalia hits yet another milestone is another reminder the arm is the "best Christmas present" Thalia has ever had."

Kerrie, a charity manager from Selby, North Yorkshire, said: "She got the arm last year and since the start of this year she's taken it to school with her."

"It has taken her time to build and train the muscles in her forearm to use it."

"Now she can hold a knife and fork, do up her coat and open presents - simple things we all take for granted."

"Amazingly it hasn’t helped her tidy her room though!"

Kerrie and husband Wesley found out at their 20-week pregnancy scan that one of Thalia's arms hadn't formed properly.

She grew up learning to do things differently to other children to accommodate her limb difference - although Kerrie said she didn't let it hold her back.

As a toddler she was given various prosthetic limbs on the NHS, but they didn't move and were just "stick on the end of her arm"."

Thalia heard about bionic arms and started to ask for "a robot arm" - and the family reached out to Open Bionics."

While the company don't normally allow people under the age of eight to have one of their 'hero arms', they let Thalia give one a try aged seven.

Despite it being difficult to activate the forearm muscles needed to work the arm without practice, she took it up like a natural.

Kerrie said: "Thalia not having an arm or wrist, she never had to use those muscles, for her to locate where they are is tough enough."

"For her to locate them to hit a sensor it takes some work - but she did it."

The family began a fundraiser to help get Thalia a £13k arm of her own and they finally picked it up in November last year.

Kellie said: "The best day was the day she went and got it - it was a four hour drive for us."

"When she opened it up in the design she had picked, and put it on the first time - she even got the thumb to move on it!"

"She surprised herself by how well she could do it."

Everyday tasks that were previously a challenge - such as holding a tennis racket, riding a bike, and even putting toothpaste on a toothbrush - are now a breeze for the schoolgirl.

Kerrie said being able to open her presents with it last Christmas - and being able to tear the wrapping paper with her new hand - was the "best present"."

A year on, she is ready to tackle her next milestone - slicing up her Christmas dinner all by herself for the first time.

Kerrie said: "Last year it took a lot of concentration and focus to use, because it’s a heavy piece of machinery for her upper arm to control."

"She could hold her cutlery but I would cut up the food for her."

"This year she should have no problem doing it by herself."

"It's completely changed her life - she has always been independent but it gives her an extra option if she's struggling."

"This year will be a reminder that no Christmas present will top that one for a long time."