Girl who had legs amputated raises £10k with lockdown walks

Maisie Catt raised £10,000 walking on a treadmill and around her garden for LimbPower

A girl who had both legs amputated has raised almost £10,000 by walking a marathon distance for the charity that supported her.

Maisie Catt, aged 10, of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, lost her legs as a result of meningitis and septicaemia as a baby.

Maisie received blades aged eight, and now enjoys Taekwondo and swimming.

Inspired by Colonel Tom Moore Maisie initially wanted to raise £260 by walking 2.6 miles a day on a treadmill and in her garden.

She wanted to raise the cash for LimbPower, a charity that helps amputees and people with limb impairment reach their sporting potential.

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Maisie's mother Sharon said: "She saw Colonel Tom and she said, 'if he can do it, maybe I can do something'."

To raise the money Maisie walked 2.6 miles each day over a 10-day period on a treadmill and in her garden in Mirfield, Kirklees, a target her mother thought might be tough.

"We thought it was quite ambitious," she said.

'Feels really cool'

"We said, 'well, see how you go', and she said, 'no I'm going to do it' - she was determined."

With the help of some over the counter pain relief to get through the aches and pains, Maisie completed her challenge and has smashed her target having raised almost £10,000 so far, an achievement she says "feels really cool".

Through LimbPower the 10-year-old has tried a number of sports, and has a group she can rely upon for support in future.

"We don't need as much support now as we did originally," said Mrs Catt.

"But they will always be there for her and we don't know what she's going to go through as a teenager.

"She might just want other kids to speak to, and the LimbPower family, they're all there for one another."