Four years ago Donna Wilson was in a near-fatal car accident. She was left with metal in her arm and only limited mobility in her left hand. ANGELA SINGER discovered that she is now a mother of two and has just set up her own twirlers group. A WOMAN who

Four years ago Donna Wilson was in a near-fatal car accident. She was left with metal in her arm and only limited mobility in her left hand. ANGELA SINGER discovered that she is now a mother of two and has just set up her own twirlers group.

A WOMAN who had her left arm rebuilt with metal following a car crash just days before her wedding has overcome her injuries and is inspiring youngsters to become majorettes.

Donna Wilson was 18 at the time and "died" on the operating table in hospital, but four years later she has started a new twirlers group.

Before the accident, Donna had been an international twirler and her team had won a silver medal in America.

As she lay in intensive care, Donna's July wedding had to be postponed, 120 guests were told the party was off and the big day was on hold.

Two months later, the re-scheduled wedding was on the front page of The Hunts Post after Donna made a miraculous recovery and married her fiancé, Andrew.

By then, September 2003, she was eight months pregnant - her unborn baby, Brandon, had also survived the crash that nearly killed his mother.

Ironically, it was Andrew, then 22, a former Hinchingbrooke School pupil, who was the one with the high-risk occupation. He was serving with the 13th Air Assault Regiment in the Gulf.

Donna's best friend and bridesmaid, Vicky Scally, had been driving at the time of the accident, overtaking on the A12, and there was a collision with a lorry. The car crossed the central reservation and hit a wall.

Vicky and Donna were both treated in intensive care. Vicky had to have plastic surgery. Donna said: "Vicky was horrifically injured. She broke every bone in her face, she broke her neck and her eye socket was torn. She was in intensive care longer than I was. She came out of hospital just the day before the wedding.

"I was on a life support machine and I stopped breathing on the operating table. My left arm has been rebuilt with metal. I have metal all through my arm now. I can use my fingers, except my little finger which was severed, but I can't grip anything with my left hand and I can't turn my hand over to receive money."

Now, four years on, Andrew and Donna live in Huntingdon. Andrew came out of the army in November 2004 and is a long-distance lorry driver. Their son Brandon had his fourth birthday yesterday (Tuesday) and they have a daughter, Kymberly, now 17 months.

Donna started Eclipse Majorettes at the BRJ Club in Huntingdon two weeks ago and already the class is almost full with 32 girls in two groups, four to 11 and 11 and older. She said: "I started twirling at seven. It's a great thing to do for girls and boys. It keeps kids off the streets and it makes them ambitious. There are grades you can achieve if you want to do that. It is like any sport you love. You can get a lot out of it. The BRJ has let me have the big hall for free because it is something for youngsters to do that parents can afford. The sessions are £2.50 a week. We have a long way to go before we can go on parade but we have high hopes.