A four-year-old girl who had to spend six months of her life confined to a man-made “bubble” after being born without an immune system is due to compete in charity sporting games.

Little Shannon McHale was born with a condition called Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), which meant she could not fight the simplest of infections — and could not receive even a kiss from her mother in case she caught a potentially lethal cold.

Now Shannon, a pupil at Haworth Primary School, is set to take part in the British Transplant Games, in Bath, this August.

She will show off her throwing skills and run an obstacle course among other trials, to raise money for The Bubble Foundation, which helps to finance research, parent support, accommodation, training, toys and educational equipment for children with SCID, at Newcastle General Hospital.

Shannon’s mother, Sue McHale, of Baden Street, in Haworth, said: “It is very rare, there are only 30 children born a year with SCID and there are only two hospitals children can go to get treated — Great Ormond Street, in London, and Newcastle, where Shannon went.”

Babies born with SCID have to be given an often painful bone marrow transplant in order to survive and the child has to live in the bubble — an eight-foot-wide air conditioned sterile box — for six months to two years while the treatment takes place.

Mrs McHale said: “During that time, Shannon was one year old and she couldn’t see or play with any other children. Only parents and doctors were allowed inside the bubble and even then you had to scrub your hands clean and put on a special gown in case you passed on any germs which might have killed her.”

Now Shannon takes regular medication, is fed through a tube and is watched closely by Sue and her dad, Gary, in case her energy levels start to dip.

Mr McHale, is a coach at Bingley Harriers running club.