Tilly Raper, 23, from Richmond, was a passenger in her friend’s car and they were travelling on the B6275, near Darlington, when they were involved in a collision with another vehicle.

Firefighters from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service removed the roof of the car to rescue Tilly and her friend who were trapped inside.

Police officers from Durham Constabulary closed the road in both directions and the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) responded to the scene to treat those injured in the crash.

Tilly had suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a fractured pelvis, lacerations to her spleen and contusions on her lungs.

She was given blood at the scene and put into a medically induced coma by the critical care team from GNAAS before being transported to James Cook University Hospital by NEAS’ road crew, accompanied by the team from GNAAS.

She remained in a coma for eight days and spent three months in hospital, followed by a further 18 months of recovery at home.

During that time, Tilly had to relearn how to walk and talk and slowly work towards gaining her independence back.

Four years after the incident, which happened in March 2022, Tilly has made a good recovery but has been left with cognitive and visual impairments and ongoing fatigue due to her injuries.

She said: “Having such a good rehabilitation team around me, and extremely supportive family has got me through some of the hardest times. I wouldn’t be where I am without the people around me now who have helped me to get my independence back, motivated me, and pushed me. They have helped shape me into the person I am today and showed me there is always light in the darkness.”

Since her incident, Tilly has completed training to be a teaching assistant and has worked in a local primary school for a year and a half, which she finds “really rewarding”.

She was also allowed to learn to drive again and passed her driving test in December 2024. Around this time, Tilly moved out of her family’s home and has been living independently for over a year.

In January, Tilly decided to join her local running group, and take part in couch to 5K sessions, which led to her signing up to take part in the Great North Run this year.

She said: “Being able to run is really important to me and not something that everyone gets to do after an injury like mine, so it felt like something that I needed to do as part of my journey. I actually remember three years ago my mum offering to push me in a wheelchair around the Great North Run, because although I’d learnt to walk again at that point, I couldn’t walk very far. To now be able to say three years later that I’m running it myself feels really special and is the perfect reflection of the support I’ve had around me throughout my recovery.”

During her training runs Tilly has been accompanied by her boyfriend Robbie, and their puppy Diego, which they got last November, who have been a positive influence and given her the motivation to keep running.

She was also motivated by her sisters Emily Holmes and Lottie Bradshaw who ran eight half marathons in 2023 to represent the eight days that she was in a coma.

Tilly said: “It felt absolutely amazing and inspiring watching Emily and Lottie complete the eighth half marathons. Seeing how tough the challenge was, but how motivated they both were to raise money for two charities really close to all of our hearts, Headway and GNAAS.

“They both continue to amaze me and have always been a huge inspiration to me anyway as my big sisters, but to have completed that challenge for those specific charities is something really special.”

Tilly is now raising money for the air ambulance charity that helped her and has set herself a target of raising £1,000.

She said: “Every step I take and every running stride is only possible because of the incredible skill, speed, and compassion shown by the team from GNAAS when I needed them most.

“After my accident, I got to meet some of the crew who helped me. It was at this point that I realised that GNAAS isn’t actually government funded, yet it plays such a crucial role in so many people’s lives.

“This year, I’m running the Great North Run to give something back and to help make sure this life-saving service can be there for others in their darkest moments.”

To sponsor Tilly visit her fundraising page here.