Corinne fears for the future of her amputee charity
A Paisley charity that has helped thousands of amputees fears it may not be able to keep going amid the pandemic due to a lack of funds.
Finding Your Feet, which was set up by Lochwinnoch woman Corinne Hutton in 2013, has suffered a drastic drop in fundraising in recent weeks, putting the short-term future of the charity in jeopardy.
A number of events, which would have been vital in boosting the bank balance of the organisation, have been cancelled.
But the coronavirus pandemic means the charity’s services are needed now more than ever, which is putting a strain on the organisation.
Founder Corinne, who had both hands, and her legs below the knee amputated after contracting sepsis in 2012, has made an emotional appeal for help as the charity has now found itself in difficulty.
She told the Express: “It is a worrying time.
“The fundraising has just completely dried up.
“We have had so many events, such as the Kiltwalk and the London Marathon, cancelled - and those would have brought us in a lot of funds to keep going.
“It’s now completely fallen off a cliff and it’s really worrying.
“Our focus as a charity is to help people in isolation
“So, given what is happening in society just now, our services are needed more than ever.
“So we are going to need some help to sustain it.”
The charity - which recently offered the NHS the use of its Paisley building to help during the coronavirus - has supported more than 3,000 people and raised more than £1.2million since launching.
Now Corinne is asking for help from the community to keep services running.
The Lochwinnoch mum and her team have launched the World’s Biggest Non Event - and are asking as many people as possible to buy a ticket.
So far, the appeal has raised more than £6,000, which has left Corinne and her team overwhelmed,
She said: “The response so far has been fantastic.
“We thought since everything is cancelled anyway we could have a bit of fun with it and ask people to buy a ticket to NOT come to our event.
“Usually when you go to these charity balls, a lot of the money that you pay goes towards paying for the use of the hotel and the event itself.
“But every single penny that people pay for the tickets will go towards the work we do to help and support amputees.
“It means so much to us and allows us to keep helping people as much as possible.”
Corinne, who is no stranger to a challenge, has also pledged to complete the Glasgow Kiltwalk once it has been rescheduled.
Her efforts are set to be boosted by 50 per cent, thanks to Scots businessman Sir Tom Hunter’s charitable foundation.
To donate, go to the Finding Your Feet amputee charity Facebook page where all information and links are available.