A WIRRAL woman is leading the fight to protect disabled people against Government welfare reforms.

Ina recently-launched campaign Kaliya Franklin from Hoylake has been photographed lying naked on a wintry beach unable to reach her wheelchair as part of the ‘Left out in the cold’ protest.

The 35-year-old who suffers from Ehler Danlos Syndrome features in the hard-hitting poster to make Government Ministers sit up and listen.

As co-founder of Broken of Britain, she wants to show how proposed reforms will affect the most severely disabled in society.

The organisation, which works to protect the welfare of the most vulnerable, is fighting against proposals such as the removal of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) from adults living in residential care.

Kaliya said: “We have launched this campaign to grab people’s attention.

"The picture of me lying freezing cold with no clothes on and unable to reach my wheelchair represents how many disabled people will not have access to vital social care and support.

“We decided to use one thought provoking image to make our point.

"Sick and disabled people are often left voiceless in society, so we hoped using a single image might reflect this.”

Campaigners are also against the time limiting of Employment Support Allowance (ESA, previously Incapacity Benefit) to one year if they have a working partner.

The reforms, which are set to go to a committee reading in parliament, were brought in to prevent fraudulent claims and people taking advantage of the system.

However, Kaliya believes the cuts are affecting those who need the care the most.

Her condition means she has a severe lack of collagen in her body and as result has frequent dislocations in her joints.

Kaliya’s illness also causes problems with her stomach, bladder and even her larynx meaning she often has trouble speaking and breathing.

And she said the public need to think about how the reforms could affect them.

She said: “The public don’t realise that we are not just campaigning for currently disabled people but for everyone should they become ill.

“It’s vital we all remember we are just an accident or illness away from becoming disabled.

"Many people think if they do become disabled that the state will look after them.

“But the fact is that even under current provisions, disability benefits are not enough for disabled people to live on.

"If the Welfare Reform Bill is passed, the situation will become unimaginably worse.”

For further information, visit the "broken of Britain" website at the link below.