The founder of a Tottington disability charity says demand for advice has skyrocketed during the cost-of-living crisis.

Michelle Cardno, founder of Fightback4Justice, says the last three months have been "horrendously busy" for her team as more and more people struggle with the rising cost of living.

The founder and disability lawyer says her 14 staff and volunteers are now receiving hundreds of enquiries a day.

The charity, based on Bury Road, was set up in 2013 and provides advice and information for disabled people navigating the benefits system with the aim of helping them access the financial support they’re entitled to.

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As the organisation celebrates a decade helping the community in January, Michelle says the last three months have been it’s busiest ever.

She said: “The last 12 months have been horrendously busy, and the last three months we’ve got more people coming to us than we’ve ever had before.

“We’ve had about three or four hundred enquiries just in a day.

“I think a lot of that stems from the cost of living crisis, people are more prompted to apply [for benefits] when they may have thought before ‘I’m not going to go through all that, I’m not jumping through hoops.

“But they are now, because they’re forced to.”

Michelle says that the charity is also dealing with the ongoing affects of the pandemic on people’s physical and mental health.

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She added: “We’ve got a lot of people coming to us now with long Covid-related symptoms and mental health symptoms as a result of the lockdown.

“Certainly, over the years its got busier and busier.”

Last week, Michelle and her team attended pop-up event at the Mill Gate Shopping Centre in Bury organised by Tottington independent councillor Yvonne Wright.

The team spoke to more than 100 people, with many more taking leaflets.

Michelle says that most of the people she spoke to were retirement age, with many saying they had been "really struggling" but unaware of what money they could be entitled to.

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She said: “Most of the people who came to our stand weren’t even on benefits, but they might have been entitled to it so it helps them look at what they might have been entitled to, and we give them information on how to make a claim.”

Fightback4Justice is planning another pop-up stall at the Mill Gate in March and will be holding a drop-in session on Thursday, January 26, at its office from 12pm.

The charity runs regular open days at its office on the first Wednesday of every month, at Unit 6, 200b Bury Road.

They can also be contacted via Facebook and by email at info@fightback4justice.co.uk.