An inspiring fundraising campaign launched by a former model and budding TV presenter after she was disfigured in a brutal, life-changing acid attack has received support from The Copthorne Hotel in Sheffield.

Katie Piper visited the hotel and met Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe and hotel General Manager Orla Watt last weekend to introduce the Pound on Your Pillow initiative. Hotel guests are being asked to add an extra £1 to their bill at the end of their stay to support The Katie Piper Foundation.

Katie established the charity after she was severely burned with sulphuric acid in London in 2008. She was left blind in one eye, unable to eat from the damage to her throat and in need of dozens of painful corrective operations to repair the damage to her beautiful face and neck.

She received outstanding treatment and physiotherapy at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and then travelled to Centre Ster in Lamalou where she received five, three-week intensive blocks of non-surgical treatment and emotional support.

Katie's ambition is to establish an advanced burn and scar management and rehabilitation clinic in the UK where people can receive the nine to five specialist care she did in France.

Orla Watt, The Copthorne Hotel General Manager, said: "We are delighted to be supporting the foundation because Katie is someone we can all draw inspiration from. Guests can help Katie realise her dream of funding a specialist burn and scar clinic by simply adding £1, or whatever they can afford, to their bill. Every £1 counts."

Katie also said: "I want the clinic to be a place where people can learn to overcome the psychological barriers of living with disfigurement and concentrate on rebuilding their lives.

"I'm overwhelmed by the support of The Copthorne Hotel Sheffield and Sheffield United. It's amazing that they have chosen to support the foundation in this way.

"The NHS does provide some methods for scar management, but unfortunately cannot provide intense block therapy using all methods under one roof in a rehabilitation environment. There also isn't anywhere in the UK to receive endermology for treatment of burns and scars - the machines are currently licensed for use as a beauty treatment for cellulite but I want to introduce them to the UK as a scar management treatment."

Katie initially wore a special plastic pressure mask for 23 hours a day for two years in an effort to flatten her scars. Her treatment also included intensive deep tissue massage, one-to-one specially adapted exercises with a physiotherapist, endermology machines that work to soften the skin and make it more malleable, hydrotherapy and high pressure water jet therapy and silicone treatments alongside pressure garments.

Another important part of the treatment for Katie was being in a supportive environment shared by people going through a similar experience. This was instrumental in showing her that she could beat her scars and it taught her to believe that she could stop them from cocooning her.

Simon McCabe, Sheffield United Director, said: "We are delighted our partners, The Copthorne, have chosen to support the Katie Piper Foundation as Katie is such a remarkable person.

For more information on the Copthorne Hotel - Sheffield or to book a room visit www.millenniumhotels.co.uk/copthornesheffield or call 0114 252 5480.