A HEREFORDSHIRE woman has spoken of the importance of air ambulances after being airlifted to hospital with a serious ankle injury.

While dog walking, Mary Seldon, from Bromyard, fell while at the Bury Ditches Iron Age Hillfort in Shropshire.

Her boots had slipped on the gravel as her and husband Alan walked down to the middle of the fort, with a larger stone turning over her foot.

“I knew immediately I had done something reasonably bad to my ankle, because as I tried to get up, I realised that there was no way I was going to get any further,” she said.

Her right ankle and foot were extremely swollen, hinting at the serious damage underneath. A land ambulance and fire crew arrived, but due to the remote location, it was decided that it would be safer to call the air ambulance.

Speaking as part of the Midlands Air Ambulance’s Mission Critical Exhibition, she said she knew how lucky she was to be airlifted to A&E in Shrewsbury – avoiding a road journey which could have made the injury worse.

There, doctors found she had completely shattered her right ankle and torn all the ligaments. She was also told she would never walk without pain or a limp again.

Weeks later, and under anaesthetic, doctors performed a three-hour operation to put in place screws on one side and a metal plate on the other, holding all the bones.

Mrs Seldon, whose husband Alan is a county councillor, had to stay in hospital for 24 hours and then was allowed home, but was not allowed to weight bear for the next seven weeks.

As her movement was restricted after the operation, the couple had to stay at their static caravan in Wales because their home would have been too challenging.

Since the fall on July 29, 2020, when the couple were walking with their two spaniels, Mrs Seldon said it took her 10 months to walk the dogs again, and she still struggles on rugged land.

Mrs Seldon, who works as a fundraising manager for the charity, said she couldn't thank the crew enough.

She said: “I love Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

“I did before, but now I fully appreciate their skill and expertise. I can’t thank the crew enough for their extraordinary care, skill and commitment to helping me that night.”