County Durham boy scarred in crash raises £20k for charity

A boy whose face was left scarred after an accident has raised almost £20,000 to help other people like him.

Charlie from Chester-le-Street has had a number of reconstructive operations after a car crash when he was four left him with severe facial injuries.

The 11-year-old said he now wanted to help the charity which helped him.

He was left with significant scarring to his face and a skin graft on his nose and is due to have more treatment to try and break down the scar tissue.

His mum Kimberley said: "I'm so proud of him, he has turned a traumatic life event into something positive and fundraising is his main reason for everything he does - to help and inspire other people."

She said the family were told about Changing Faces by a consultant at Newcastle RVI where Charlie was treated after the crash.

"We were told to get in touch with the charity to help us deal with people's reaction to Charlies face - back then people would stare at him and ask him what had happened - but he has learned to cope and now he just smiles if people look at him," she said.

Charlie started fundraising at the age of eight and in the past three years he has done the mini Great North Run, a double marathon in stages and other challenges.

The latest was to run six and a half miles from his football club in Chester-le-Street to the Angel of the North before cycling the return leg.

Charlie said: "It's important for me to do this, to help the charity and it's important for me to raise awareness.

"My family are very proud of me and I'm happy about that and I'm proud of my Mam and Dad for doing it with me too."

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