A CONSETT couple who lost their daughter in a road crash have formed a remarkable bond with the man whose life she saved with a heart transplant.

Nicola Pearson's parents Ray and Elaine were distraught when she was killed at the age of 17.

They were consoled only by the fact that her death was not in vain, saving the life of Paul Savage, 24.

As Paul recovered from his transplant he wrote a letter to Ray and Elaine thanking them and Nicola for giving him another chance.

At first the grief-stricken parents were unsure about contacting him, but after taking advice form their transplant co-ordinator they decided to write back -and in the space of two years Paul, a computer software engineer of Runcorn, Cheshire, has become like a second son to the Pearsons.

Last month Paul, who could only walk a few steps before the operation, won the gold medal for the 400 metres at the European Transplant Games inAustria, with Ray and Elaine cheering him on.

And this weekend, the weekend of Nicola's birthday, Paul and Ray will do an abseil together to raise money for heart research.

Ray, a warehouseman, said: "We are so proud of Paul, he's an amazing lad.

"Some people say it's not a good idea for the family of a donor to meet the recipient but seeing how well Paul is doing has been wonderful for us.

"In all the fundraising we do he is our inspiration. Whenever I'm trying to explain to people how organ donation is important I explain how much happiness he has brought to my family.

"Obviously it's a strange relationship and at times it's painful for us but we will always know that Nicola saved his life."

Ray said Paul's presence this weekend was very special. "The timing of the abseil will make it especially emotional.

"I think this weekend will be as difficult for him as it will be for us because it's hard for him when he sees us upset about Nicola. But as it's my first abseil and he's done several before I'm relying on him to give me some pointers."

Paul said: "They really have changed my life.

"It's great seeing them and it makes me feel very special knowing they are there cheering me on.

"The hardest thing for me when I met Ray and Elaine was listening to them talk about Nicola.

"I had been so overjoyed at getting a new heart I had not thought a lot about her.

"I started thinking more about her as a person, which was really hard.

"I'm glad now that I know about her, though. She was very special and I'm so grateful for what she has done for me."