Neo Walk: York woman's custom walking sticks seen on red carpet

A disabled woman who creates custom walking sticks says she feel "hugely privileged" that Hollywood stars have chosen to use her designs.

Lyndsay Watterson set up Neo Walk from her kitchen in York, creating individually-designed acrylic sticks as mobility aids after she lost her leg.

Ms Watterson now counts celebrities, including actors Selma Blair and Christina Applegate, among her clients.

She said she was proud "to be able to help them live their best lives".

The business started in 2013 after Ms Watterson had her leg amputated when she contracted MRSA during an operation.

She set up Neo Walk as she "still felt bright and colourful, but nothing really reflected that" when she searched for a walking stick.

"We're all about giving people the choice to choose something fashionable, sexy, really colourful, that they're proud to be seen with," she said.

The first prototype stick was created in Ms Watterson's kitchen, using an oven-heated piece of acrylic moulded around a wine bottle.

"I felt really empowered by my stick. It made me feel good. It didn't make me feel ashamed using a mobility aid and I thought this was a feeling I could give to other people," she added.

It was when checking orders one morning she noticed a familiar name based in Hollywood.

"There was one from a Selma Blair. I thought 'Well, really?'"

The Legally Blonde, Hellboy and Cruel Intentions star has been using a walking aid after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Fellow actor Christina Applegate, who was diagnosed with MS during filming of the Netflix series Dead To Me, was seen sporting her customised stick on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday.

Ms Applegate, who also featured in the films Anchorman and Samantha Who?, sported a curt message on her stick expressing her defiance in the face of MS.

"I feel hugely privileged to have these two very famous ladies walking around with our walking sticks," said Ms Watterson.

After an appearance on BBC TV show Dragons' Den, she said she had been "more successful than even I dared to dream".

Despite not getting the investment she hoped for, she said she enjoyed telling the potential investors about her product.

"At the end of the day, I didn't need them. We've actually smashed the predictions I gave the Dragons which we would reach without them. I'm just so thrilled."

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