On top of the world

A BRAVE Oldham woman overcame an horrific car crash which left her with a
fractured skull and a pelvis broken in three places to achieve her dream and
climb Mount Snowdon.
Paula Ashton (43) suffered life-threatening injuries when she was involved
in a severe car crash on the A627M, near Broadway, Chadderton, in January,
2010.
She suffered fractures to her skull, shoulder and eye socket. Almost half of
her ribs were badly damaged.
Her pelvis was also painfully fractured in three places, making walking an
impossibility for several months.
But, after learning to walk again, she set her heart on doing something
amazing and raising money for charity.
Paula, a finance administrator, said: "I was sat in the hospital talking to
my family and I said, as a joke, Don¹t worry, I'll be climbing mountains
soon."
Just over three years later, her joke became a reality as she set off on the
trek to climb the tallest mountain in Wales, reaching a height of 3,560ft,
with her husband Peter and three friends. 
The Heron Street resident said: "It was really hard work ‹ there were times
when I was short of breath and I had a few stumbles thinking that I couldn¹t
make it but I did.
"It was amazing to reach the top and I am hoping that I will be able to do
it again soon . . . although I haven¹t been able to walk much since we got
home!"
So far Paula¹s efforts, which took six hours in total, have raised around
£400 for Dr Kershaw¹s Hospice but she is hoping more people will read her
story and get in touch with the hospice to donate money.
Paula said: "I wanted to raise money for Dr Kershaw¹s as we know a lot of
people who have been helped by them.
"It is a really great cause and I hope that we manage to raise even more as
the donations come in."