AN AUNTY who set up a charity to help her disabled niece has shutdown the fundraising group after falling out with the family.
Shirley Hume set up the Friends of Izzy charity to help cerebral palsy sufferer Izzy Kuta, five, of Fitches Crescent, Maldon.
Izzy's family say she needs a life-changing £20,000 operation to help her walk unaided and ease painful stiffness in her legs.
But after a charity concert in July made a loss of £12,500 and with ill feeling among the family increasing, Ms Hume announced this week she had disbanded the Friends of Izzy group and was no longer involved with the fundraising.
"The concert was bigger than what I bargained for and it didn't generate the ticket sales we wanted," said Ms Hume.
"Because of the economy, not as many people could justify buying tickets and unfortunately not enough were sold.
"I've worked so hard to raise money for Izzy's operation and I'm devastated we made a loss – I really feel like I've let her down."
Before the concert, the Friends of Izzy group had already raised more than £20,000, the amount needed for the operation in Bristol, but since the loss only £10,000 remains.
