THE parents of a young Nelson woman who broke her neck in a road accident are looking forward to a promising new year after their daughter took her first steps.

Clare Clark, 21, of Pinfold Place, has been transferred to Burnley General Hospital from the Royal Preston Hospital where she underwent an operation which saved her from paralysis.

She suffered a broken neck when she was hit by a car in Leeds Road close to Nelson town centre two and a half weeks ago but is now amazing her parents by standing up and taking steps to her wheelchair.

The delicate operation, which she underwent before Christmas, involved surgeons removing the bone in her neck and replacing it with a bone from her hip.

Her mother, Carol, was delighted when she heard her daughter was being transferred to Burnley after the family spent most of Christmas travelling to Preston to spend their time with Clare.

She said: "She's doing brilliantly. I have been pushing her round in a wheelchair.

"They have taken all her tubes out now and she's just got a neck collar and bandage where they did the operation. She looks tired but I think that's just because her head is still hurting her.

"We took her Christmas presents to the hospital and she opened a few of them but then got a bit tired. But the people at the hospital thought she did well.

"The doctor's just told us to take one day at a time."

Clare, who also had a blot clot on her brain, had a scan on Friday and her parents are now awaiting the results.

Carol said: "She's focussing a lot on improving and they are hoping that the blood clot on her brain will settle. Her brother's told her she doesn't know how lucky she is and she was amazed when she read about herself in the paper.

"I am really chuffed at how well she's doing. She's a fighter and very strong-headed. She's done wonders in two weeks."