Britain's most badly burned woman feels lucky to be alive and helping patients like her

On her worst days, Catrin Pugh still can't always face the world - strangers staring at her scars in the street and even occasionally asking: "What the hell happened to you?" But 12 years on from the most terrible day of her life, it's slowly getting easier. The 31-year-old, who holds the unenviable "title" of Britain's worst ever burns survivor, has a satisfying career and a loving boyfriend. She can walk and work and, mostly, face the world.

"I still have times when I'm back there, lying by the road on fire, waiting for help. Something will trigger the memory and for a few minutes I am back there," she tells me. "I don't have memories of seeing the fire itself. I felt it and I heard it hissing, fizzing. My memory is of crawling up the [coach] aisle, knowing I was on fire."

Catrin, then 19, was with a group of five friends, on a gap year, and was returning home after an enjoyable ski season in the French Alps in 2013. But the brakes failed on the coach she was travelling in and rather than go over a cliff edge, its driver, Maurice Wrightson, 63, crashed into rocks on a hairpin road and burst into flames.

Everyone on board managed to escape, mostly with relatively minor injuries, but courageous Maurice died and was posthumously awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery. Catrin suffered third-degree burns on 96% of her body during the crash - just the soles of her feet and scalp were spared.

She only survived because her then boyfriend, Shaun, managed to drag her out. After three months in a coma and 200 operations and skin grafts, she awoke to find her life had changed beyond recognition. That she woke up at all was a miracle in itself, having been given only a one in a 1,000 chance of survival.

"I had times when I didn't want to go on, trying to see what life would be like for me now, knowing I would be forever judged by the way I looked," she says.

Twelve years on, she works as a physiotherapist for the Katie Piper Foundation, launched by the inspirational acid attack survivor, helping other burn patients regain their mobility and flexibility, in some cases literally learning to walk again and, hopefully, regain their independence.

Catrin, from Wrexham, North Wales, graduated from university in 2021 and began her new post as in-house physiotherapist at the charity's rehabilitation centre on Merseyside, where survivors spend several days accessing a range of therapies, including emotional as well as physical support. She works with her patients online and face to face.

She also regularly models for photoshoots to showcase her differences, is a motivational speaker and fundraiser and continues to challenge society's attitudes to people with visible differences.

"Before the accident, I had wanted to train in musical theatre but I am passionate about what I do now," she says.

When I first met Catrin, I was struck not only by the extent of her injuries but by her spirit and determination. At the Katie Piper Foundation, we always aim to offer tailored support, both physical and emotional, that empowers survivors to regain control over their lives.

But Catrin's journey was uniquely complex, and I'm proud that we were able to help her access the kind of long-term, specialist rehabilitation that isn't always available elsewhere.

Supporting her wasn't just about offering services, it was about letting her and her family know we were there if they needed us and then seeing her thrive, which she very much has. She remains forever one of my heroines. I honestly couldn't be prouder.

What Catrin has achieved is extraordinary. She survived one of the worst burns injuries ever recorded in the UK and has gone on to not only reclaim her life, but to build a new one that centres on giving back to others. Her decision to retrain as a physiotherapist - and then come to work with us, is the ultimate full-circle moment.

Her empathy, expertise, and lived experience make her an invaluable part of the Foundation. She's proof that with the right support and mindset, trauma doesn't have to define you, it can fuel your purpose.

By continuing to raise money and awareness, we're making sure that other survivors don't have to face this journey alone. Serious burns don't just affect the skin - they impact every part of a person's life. Physically, survivors often deal with nerve damage, chronic pain, restricted mobility, countless surgeries, and intensive rehabilitation.

But what's less visible is the psychological toll, the PTSD, anxiety, depression, and grief over how your body and identity have changed. Burn injuries are traumatic in every sense. That's why holistic care is so important, we can't treat the body without also addressing the emotional and mental scars.

For charities like ours, where every pound genuinely counts, the Big Give Small Charities campaign brings in essential funds that allow us to continue delivering life-changing care.

But more than that, it raises awareness, it lets people know that there is help out there for burns survivors, and that recovery is possible. It gives us a platform to tell stories of survival, resilience, and hope.

Catrin is speaking to the Daily Express in support of the Big Give Small Charity Week - the UK's first nationwide match-funding campaign for small charities.

More than £900,000 in match funds is available, with 189 charities due to benefit, including the Katie Piper Foundation - the very charity that helped Catrin herself.

The funding match has been provided by a coalition of philanthropists and players of People's Postcode Lottery, The Reed Foundation, Greggs Foundation and others. Public donations will be doubled until June 30.

"Kate [Piper] came to visit me in hospital and it is her charity that has helped me through this with weekly holistic therapy and psychotherapy," continues Catrin.

"I wouldn't have coped without them. Not all burns survivors will need physiotherapy, but what we have found is they all need psychotherapy to cope with the mental trauma.

"I did and I still do to this day. I may work for the charity now, but I still need their help. So many have suicidal thoughts. The physical recovery is so gruelling and long and painful.

"You have to constantly moisturise to keep your skin flexible - this heat is a nightmare - and you have to wear pressure masks and bandages."

But it is the psychological aspect of dealing with burns injuries that Catrin knows - from her own experience and working with her patients - is the toughest.

The Katie Piper Foundation wants to raise funds to provide more mental health support for people so they don't have to wait so long for help on the NHS.

"I still have days when I wish I looked different and I didn't have all this scarring, which is all over my body," Catrin admits. "There is no escape from it. Katie always says, 'You don't ever get a day off from your burns.'"

Catrin's boyfriend Luke, 29, thinks differently and always tells her she wouldn't be who she is now without them. The couple met on the dating app Hinge a couple of years ago.

"It was terrifying going on a dating app and those fears weren't irrational, because some people said some awful things," she says. "Romance and dating when you have visible differences is very difficult. For years, I just didn't.

"For a start, I was bald because they had to shave my head, and hair is so important to a woman."

But then Catrin met Luke, who works in musical theatre. The couple live together in London with their dog and hope to start a family in the future. Catrin is still in touch with the five friends from that fateful day, but not ex-boyfriend Shaun.

SMALL charities now face a "triple whammy" of rising costs, increased demand and a slump in public donations and grant funding, according to alarming new research.

In a survey of more than 700 small charities (with incomes under £1million), nearly half admitted their financial situation is so grave that they are at risk of closure within a year.

One in 10 have less than six months' worth of cash left. And 53% are facing greater demand without a boost in funding. Despite making up 85% of the UK's voluntary sector, small charities receive just 12% of total sector income, according to the Charity Commission for England & Wales.

"Small charities are the beating heart of our communities," said James Reed CBE, Chair of the Trustees of Big Give. "But they're being hit from all side - and so, through Small Charity Week, we're putting them centre stage.

"We know that match funding works as a powerful driver of donations and that people are more likely to give and to give more if they know their donation will be doubled."

Katherine Sellar, Community Programmes Manager at People's Postcode Lottery, adds: "When small charities thrive, communities thrive.

"We know the huge difference small charities make, particularly during tough times. Our support for Small Charity Week ensures local organisations can reach more people and keep doing the work that matters most."

To explore the participating charities and double your donation, visit: donate.biggive.org/small-charity-week-2025

"We did keep in touch, but not anymore, but we are both here for each other still I think," he says. "We keep an eye on what each other is doing on social media. Luke says he would like to meet him and shake his hand for saving my life."

Today, Catrin is still waiting for more treatment. "There are always more operations with a burn as big as mine, especially over joints, because the scar tissue tightens and restricts movement.

"I need more treatment on my knee, arm and neck which will either be more skin grafts, or scar release treatment via injectables, or a bit of both." The wait times are long because it isn't life-threatening.

Her parents, both teachers back in Wrexham, must be so proud of how far she has come. "We are not a gushy family," she smiles.

"They didn't know what the future would hold for me and it was so rubbish at times that they are just relieved I'm independent and happy. The accident I went through, the injuries I got, and the life-shattering experience I had, I always say that it changed me for the better.

"Yes, I have disabilities I contend with every day - my hand doesn't work properly so I didn't know if I would be able to work in physio - but I absolutely love my job.

"And when I am helping my patients and telling them it will get better and easier, they believe me, because they can see it in me. That is very rewarding, to be able to give them hope for their futures. I know it sounds strange, but I feel lucky."

• Big Give is championing small charities across the UK in their Small Charity Week campaign, which runs until June 30. Click here to support The Katie Piper Foundation