A COURAGEOUS young woman who has overcome huge medical hurdles will share the showjumping arena with the best riders in the world.

Charlotte Leighton would have died from her injuries in a horrific car crash nine years ago without the aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance who flew her to Leeds General Infirmary.

Now aged 19, she is still having operations to repair the many injuries she sustained when she was knocked down outside her home in Tollerton.

But her medical commitments didn't stop her taking up horse-riding when she was 12 and devoting her time to raising funds for the ambulance that saved her life.

Next month she will be part of a four-strong showjumping team from York and Ainsty South Pony Club that will take part in the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials.

Her mother Sue said: “Everyone gives so generously to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance because it’s a service that’s here for us.

“You never know when you are going to need it and it’s always there when you do. We never thought we would need the air ambulance but if it wasn’t for them, Charlotte would not be here today.”

She is a former winner of the Community Pride special award for courage. A registered volunteer for the YAA, she and her family and friends have raised more than £200,000 for it.

She will be joined at Bramham between June 11 and June 14 by her sister Serena, 15, Holly Clayden and Nick Ireland who make up the rest of the pony club team.

She suffered fractures to her forehead, eye sockets, jaw and leg in the car crash and will have an operation in August to break her upper jaw and insert a titanium plate before bone grafting and implants.