After studying at Cambridge and Durham and getting a PhD in Astrophysics, Alison decided sitting behind a computer wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. Instead, she followed her passion for gardening, running a landscape gardening business before becoming a full-time carer for her mother.

Alison's life was changed forever in November 2018 when she was hit by a van while out shopping. She said: "I don’t remember anything about the collision but I recall being trapped under the van whilst the paramedics worked on me."

An ambulance took Alison to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesborough where doctors had no option but to amputate her right leg below the hip due to the severity of her injuries. Alison told us: "I had a long operation to remove the leg, and a further operation to do a skin graft. Because I’m very small and a bit frail looking, they said it was likely I wouldn’t be able to use a prosthetic leg and would need a wheelchair. They told me I’d never be able to walk again."

"After about two months in hospital I came home and realised just how much I was going to have to re-learn. I live on my own, so I couldn’t even get out of the house as there were steps either side. I had to learn everything from scratch, even the basics like showering, and getting in and out of bed.

Six months after the accident was when I went down to Steps Rehabilitation in Sheffield, where I met a prosthetist. I was initially given a trial leg which didn’t fit very well but it had potential and I was walking. First with my walking frame, then with crutches and then with just a stick. I was walking and proving everybody wrong."

Alison says that having the right support has made a huge difference to her recovery journey. "It’s been a long road but in some ways I felt like I was one of the lucky ones. While I was in hospital I got a solicitor, who fairly quickly managed to get me a package of support. This meant I had a case manager, occupational therapist, dietician, psychologist and prosthetist - I know many people don’t have that much of a support system and I can’t imagine going through that trauma alone."

Alison's solicitors also reached an agreement on liability, allowing her to make adaptations to her home and car, as well as a custom-made prosthetic. "At that point, I had my leg and I had my car - it was real freedom. It gave me some independence back and meant I wasn’t as reliant on others. Gardening was a big part of my life and slowly but surely I was able to get out in my garden and do a little bit more, day by day.

"The one thing that I felt was really missing for me in my recovery was not being able to see or talk to anyone in the same position. It was only by chance, months after the accident, that I met another amputee for the first time. When I finally met someone in the same boat, it made such a difference. You can have all the experts around you but they’ve got two legs and two arms. They can tell you the theory but they don’t know what it feels like. When you meet another amputee, they just get it. They’ve been through the same challenges and you can compare notes on your experiences. It’s empathy rather than sympathy."

It was this feeling that made Alison want to help others in a similar situation. She now volunteers for Day One providing peer support at James Cook Hospital where she was treated. "It’s never going to be easy but if I can be that positive face and fill that gap that I experienced, I’ll be happy. The advice I’d give to someone who has just gone through major trauma would be not to dwell on what you used to be able to do, keep looking forward and take it one thing at a time. Your best is good enough."

"Alongside others who supported me - my case manager, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and prosthetist - we’ve set up a support group in the local area, North East Amputee. It’s a group where amputees can meet each other and get specialist help. We’ve had two meetings so far, and for some of the people who come it’s like a weight being lifted off their shoulders - they’re not on their own any more."

"We’re six years on from the accident now. I’ve been down to London to go to the Chelsea Flower Show and have tea at the Ritz, and I’ve flown to Mauritius for a holiday. Last year was one of my biggest achievements yet - I did a road trip around England to see all of the gardens I’d always wanted to visit. I went on my own and took about a week to explore some beautiful places. Six years ago, that would have seemed unlikely. Yes - I’ve fallen, lots of times actually, and sometimes it shakes you, but you’ve just got to pick yourself up and keep going."