COMPLAINTS against a children’s charity owing thousands of pounds to families across the country, including that of Thornbury toddler Ezzy Hodge have been escalated.

Three-year-old Ezzy, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy last year, took her first steps unaided less than three weeks after the radical new surgery to rid her of her cerebral palsy, following an incredible public reaction to the Ezzy’s Wish to Walk campaign, which raised £80,000 in only eight months.

But the family said their involvement with Bristol-based charity The Darren Wright Foundation (DWF) was “a nightmare” with them struggling to recover more than £20,000 for her surgery.

Ezzy’s parents Matt and Angela reached out to other families online to find they had faced similar experiences and took their collective complaints to the Charity Commission.

Having previously acknowledged the families’ worries, a commission spokeswoman said they have now escalated their engagement to a compliance case, due to the nature of the concerns raised, both with themselves and in the media.

She added: “We have previously sought clarification on the charity’s activities and finances after concerns were raised with us, to which the trustees have yet to provide a satisfactory response to.

“The Commission expects the trustees of the Darren Wright Foundation to respond in full by the new deadline provided and we will be assessing their response to decide if further regulatory action is required.”

It had previously been reported that the DWF owed the Ezzy’s Wish to Walk campaign around £1,200, but it now turns out the figure could be in excess of £3,500, due to inconsistencies in financial statements.

While pleased by the action being taken by the commission, Ezzy’s mum Angela Hodge said it was “long overdue”.

“I’m glad that by making a bit of noise, this has got some attention and someone is finally doing something about it,” she said.

“If by us coming forward, other people have now gone to the charity commission with their complaints, it could make a real difference.”

The Gazette is currently awaiting a comment from the charity, but a spokesman had previously said they apologised to all families involved, saying they were aware of their shortcomings and were working hard to resolve the issues with changes in administrative processes and staffing.