ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Busted Online</title> <LINK REL=stylesheet HREF="style.css" type="text/css"> </head> <body> <i>Taken from the Daily Record - March 2004</i><p> <b>Busted star's sister Amanda is winner in her own write</b><br> <i>By Corinne Sweet</i><p> AMANDA Sargeant is a feisty 15-year-old just like any other. Apart from hanging out with her mates after school, she likes clothes, music, ten-pin bowling,TV, chocolate, pizza, animals and,of course, boys.<p> However, there are two significant differences between Amanda and her peers. Firstly, she was born with cerebral palsy and is now a full-time wheelchair user. Secondly, her brother, Matt, 20, is a multi Brit-award winning star in the pop band Busted.<p> Amazingly, her other older brother, Darren, 23, is also a song-writer/guitarist in a band called The Undesided.<p> 'My brothers are very protective of me,' says Amanda. 'Particularly Matt. He bought me a fantastic new wheelchair and my mum a Mondeo car to drive me around in whenhe got his first big pay cheque from Busted.'<p> Matt explains: 'Up until then she'd had to makedo with a clumsy old wheelchair from the council, which made it really difficult for her to get around.<p> 'She's really active and loves to play basketball we used to play together when I was younger so I decided to surprise her and she was over the moon. It was worth every penny.'<p> Busted have a million pound contract, while their debut album, with No 1 hits such as Crashed the Wedding, sold a million copies.However, according to Amanda,Matt is still 'just my mad big brother'.<p> 'Growing up he was always leaping around, being zany, playing the guitar and putting on his music full blast,' she smiles.<p> 'He would use the shower and leave his clothes everywhere and, worse still, leave his hair gel onmy shelf, so I'd inevitably reach for it, thinking it wasmy moisturiser, and smear it all over my face.'<p> So where did all this youthful talent come from?<p> Mum Linda, 43, is a very down to earth woman,who works part-time as a special- needs teacher and dad Brian, 44, is a fork-lift truck driver for Tesco. However, both brim over with pride at the achievements of their offspring. Nonetheless, they like to keep fame in perspective.<p> 'It's amazing when I think we used to take Lee from Blue with Matt and James also from Busted on holiday with us each year in our caravan,' remembers Linda.<p> Now, like her brothers, Amanda has become a bit of a star in her own right. She recently won Transport for London's under-16s poetry competition, beating 150 other entries, and will soon be pasted on hundreds of tubes and buses all over the capital. She's also just come second in a prestigious prize for English at her school, Sunbury Manor in London. Plus, Amanda's about to become an author through the Millennium Award Scheme. The disabled children's charity Whizz-Kidz is publishing a booklet Amanda has put together about how accessible shops and public services are in her local area, Surrey.<p> Amanda's inspiration for both the prize-winning poem and the booklet came out of feeling excluded from the rest of her gang of friends because of being in a wheelchair.<p> She says: 'The poem came from being stuck in the freezing cold, smelly guards van after a day out with my friends visiting the London Eye when I was 13. After that I wanted to do something that would improve the environment for other wheelchair users.'<p> However modest she is, Amanda has had her fair share of suffering. She couldn't speak until she was three and a half, and has endured 11operations on her legs and back. She also has broken her back and wrist.<p> But Amanda is uncomplaining and undaunted. In fact, she was the first Army cadet in a wheelchair in Surrey and believes it's up to disabled people to make the most of their lives and not let their disability take over.<p> 'I've finally come to terms with not walking,' says Amanda. 'I want to get on with my life and make the most of it.'<p> TO prove her point,Amanda has already decided that she wants to be a special needs teacher, with a class of four to seven-year-olds, just like her mum.<p> Teaching kids is a far cry from the showbiz world of Busted, so is she jealous?<p> Amanda says: 'Not at all. Well, I was jealous when I heard Matt had gone to Wayne Rooney's birthday party, but apart from that he's still just my big brother.'<p> Amanda's clearly proud of him winning the Brits, but she says he hasn't been spoiled by fame.<p> The last two weekends Matt has flown her to Belfast and driven her to Birmingham to catch Busted's tour.<p> What annoys her most is girls sidling up, wanting to meet Matt through her.<p> She laughs: 'I think to myself 'get a life'. After all, famous people are just people, aren't they?'<p> </body> </html>