Hayley raises more than £2k for Lincolnshire charity that saved her life after she was thrown from a car, aged four, and came to her aid again in her 20s

Hayley during her 80ft abseil for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.

Hayley Rylott, 27, took on the 80ft challenge as a ‘thank you’ to the charity which has come to her aid twice in her lifetime.

On the first occasion, Hayley had been thrown through a car windscreen after being involved in an accident on the A52 at Donington. She was aged just four years old at the time.

When the emergency services arrived, they did not know that a child was involved in the crash as Hayley had landed in a field and the driver was unconscious. As the driver came to, they began shouting for Hayley.

After the air ambulance arrived, Hayley was flown to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. There were no marks on her body, but she had suffered a serious brain injury. Her mum, Helen, says she was told Hayley might never walk or talk again.

Since then, Hayley has had full-time help from a team of physiotherapists and support from her sister Jane, brother Timmy and her niece and nephews Louise, Ronnie and Hunter.

Of the challenges she faces today, Hayley said: “I can’t do natural things like other people can and I can’t work because I get very tired easily.”

During her teenage years, Hayley completed an NVQ in horse care as part of her physiotherapy. This, however, led to Hayley’s second airlift, when, in 2015, she was thrown from a horse.

Her right arm was injured, but fortunately, this time, the call-out was not as serious.

“I didn’t let it stop me riding,” Hayley said.

Helen added: “It terrifies me when she goes out with the horses, but Hayley doesn’t give in. She proves to herself that she can do things.”

Hayley says if it was not for the air ambulance, she ‘wouldn’t be here now’.

At the time of writing, some £2,135 had been donated to the charity through her JustGiving page (www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hayley-Rylott) – more than double her target.

Hayley, who completed the abseil with the support of her team, said: “It went really well. I was very nervous and scared when I saw the bridge, but everyone did really well.”