Brave Maisie up for award

A BRAVE eight-year-old girl who lost part of both legs following a bout of meningitis has been nominated for an award after taking up sport.

Maisie Catt, of Mirfield, was fitted with blades to help her walk and has been nominated for the Young Achiever Award for Disability Sports Yorkshire.

Streetbikes, the Milnsbridge-based project set up to encourage people to try cycling, put her name forward.

Maisie has been attending Streetbikes sessions regularly using a hand cycle and is an inspiration to anyone she meets for her courage and determination. Gill Greaves, who runs Streetbikes, said: “Maisie came to a session in November last year after a fault developed in the hand cycle she usually uses.

“We tried for the first time for her to pedal a trike with her blades. It was an amazing achievement.

“A video we took of her went viral on Facebook. We are so proud of her and it has spurred her five-year-old brother Finlay to learn to ride a bike.”

Maisie was born healthy but was diagnosed with meningitis at five months old and had to have her legs amputated, one above the knee and one below, due to septicaemia, or blood poisoning. However, since then she’s proved she’s not going to let anything hold her back.

The awards dinner will be held at Centenary Pavilion, Elland Road, Leeds, on March 16.

And Maisie’s sporting exploits don’t end there. She has shown her fighting spirit too after taking up the martial art taekwondo.