10-year-old amputee raises £10,000 for charity with lockdown marathon

A double-leg amputee has raised almost £10,000 by walking a marathon distance for the charity that supported her.

Maisie Catt, 10, of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, lost her legs as a result of meningitis and septicaemia when she was a baby – she received blades when she was eight, and now enjoys Taekwondo and swimming.

Having been inspired by Colonel Tom Moore’s fundraising efforts, Maisie decided to try to raise £260 for LimbPower, a charity that helps amputees and people with limb impairment reach their sporting potential.

Sharon Catt, Maisie’s mother, told the PA news agency: “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.

“We said, ‘well, see how you go’, and she said, ‘No I’m going to do it.’ She was determined.

“It was a real challenge at the beginning, but it’s gotten easier for her.”

With the help of some Ibuprofen 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.”

And while Maisie’s 26-mile challenge has been completed, she has been inspired to continue due to the generosity of the public.

“I’ve decided to carry on because I want to help raise more money,” she told PA.

“Even if you don’t feel up to it, you have to try and do it at least.”