A MUM, who feared her baby son might die after he was hit by a reversing car in Devizes, is to take part in a gruelling race to raise money for a helicopter team that saved his life.

Jo Williams, 42, from Cherhill, near Calne, was working in Dorset when she received a phone call to say Taran then aged 14 months was being airlifted to hospital in Bristol by Great Western Air Ambulance.

She said: "How I drove there I don't know. I have little memory of it. My husband Simon was also trying to get back down London Road into Devizes but it was when there were terrible traffic jams and he was stuck.

"In the end my mum had to go in the helicopter with Taran."

She believes it was because Taran was so young that it helped him survive the accident. She said: "I think it was because he was crawling. If he had been walking I think it would have been even worse."

But she also credits the helicopter service for saving her son who is now a lively three-year-old. She is so grateful for the care and expertise provided that day by critical care paramedic Christian Wiggins and critical care doctor Scott Grier that she is taking on the Battle of Lansdown at Bath Racecourse on March 19 to raise money for the charity.

Mrs Williams, who grew up in Devizes and is a former pupil of Devizes School, said: “When Taran was injured my emotions were all over the place, it was an awful day. I really dread to think what would have happened if it wasn’t for GWAAC.

"That’s why I wanted to do something to raise money for them, and I didn’t see the point in doing something small. I wanted to do something tough that would challenge me, and the Battle of Lansdown seemed perfect.”

Taran, an only child, was badly injured in August 2015 when he was hit by a reversing car. He suffered a fractured skull and shoulder and sever grazing to his face, head and shoulder.

The helicopter team that arrived in 15 minutes from its base at Filton in Bristol were worried about the severity of his head injury and the distress he was in. They managed to put him in a safe condition to be airlifted to Bristol Children's Hospital where he was taken to the high dependency unit where he stayed for two days.

Money raised by Mrs Williams by covering the 10k course and 35 obstacles over extreme terrain will be matched by by employers Aster, who are based in Devizes.

Community fundraising coordinator for Bath and North East Somerset Samantha Roberts said: “It was so lovely to meet Taran and to see how well he is doing. This is just one example of a family that are still together thanks to the critical care team. It is great that Jo is taking on the Battle of Lansdown for us, and I hope that her story will inspire more people to get involved."

To find out more go to www.greatwesternairambulance.com