HER life was almost certainly saved by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance after she suffered severe head injuries in a road accident.

Charlotte Leighton was whisked by helicopter to hospital in Leeds, where surgeons carried out pioneering facial reconstruction surgery.

Now Charlotte, aged ten, and her family, of Tollerton, near Easingwold, are saying thank you by launching a fundraising campaign for the air ambulance service.

They have started off with an unusual competition to guess the number of staples removed by doctors from Charlotte's head.

Charlotte has placed dozens of the staples, which were used to seal her wound after the accident, in a pot on the counter at Tollerton Post Office and Stores.

Charlotte's mother, Sue, said customers were being asked to calculate how many staples were in the tub, and pay £1 for every guess, with all funds going to the appeal.

"I've got a big fluffy duck to give to the person who guesses the number right. There's been a great response."

Phil Lancaster, the proprietor and sub-postmaster, said customers had responded generously.

"It's unfortunate that it takes something like this to make people aware that the air ambulance is available, and that it's self-financing," he said.

Sue said that the fundraising was continuing with plans for a stall at Tollerton Show on August 12. She and friends are busy knitting scarves to sell on it.

The Press reported earlier this month how Charlotte suffered a catalogue of injuries when she was in collision with a car as she was waiting for the school bus. They included a fractured skull, a shattered eye socket, three fractures of the jaw and a broken leg.

She became the first person in Britain to undergo surgery involving moulding special plates to the shape of the face, to hold the facial and jaw bones in place until they mend, by which time the plates and screws will disintegrate harmlessly.

Sue said today that Charlotte was continuing to make "fantastic progress".

Doctors had confirmed that her sight had not been affected, apart from a problem with a tear duct and a little blurring when she looked up, but it was hoped that would get better with time.

The family is also hoping that a frame on Charlotte's broken leg might be removed next week.

Charlotte had originally planned to go back to school this week, but this has now been delayed because she suffers pain when the frame gets knocked. Sue thanked the whole community for its support at a traumatic time, revealing that Charlotte had received 260 get well cards, plus many teddies, games, jigsaws and more than 30 Easter eggs.

Updated: 09:34 Wednesday, April 26, 2006