A GIRL left badly brain-damaged by a car accident has prompted an urgent fundraising campaign.

Chloe Shepherd, eight, was known in her neighbourhood as the little girl who would stop and say hello to everyone.

But tragedy struck as she crossed a road to a visit relative's house in Crook on Halloween last year.

Chloe was involved in an accident with a car which left her fighting for her life in Newcastle General Hospital.

Doctors there found she had suffered serious brain-damage in the accident.

When news reached Crook that a computer would help to aid Chloe's progress, no time was wasted raising the funds.

In a little over two months, more than £500 has been raised for the equipment, which should help the youngster gradually piece back her life.

Chloe, who goes to Crook Hartside Junior and Infant School, is still in hospital receiving treatment, but she is allowed to visit her home in Hope Street at weekends.

Her mother, Lisa, said Chloe will be allowed home permanently when she can negotiate stairs and has recovered some of her brain functions.

She said: "Chloe's doing fine. She has starting to walk and things now. So it is just a matter of teaching her all over again.

"Hopefully, not too long from now she will be able to walk properly and get partly back to normal. She will never be normal again, but as normal as we can expect."

Chloe was in collision with a car as she crossed the B6298 road near her home on October 31. She was treated in the paediatric intensive care unit at Newcastle General Hospital.

Betty Hawkins, from Crook, raised £500 for the computer equipment by organising a pub crawl.

She said: "I know Chloe's mother because my children go to the same school as Chloe.

"I did this because I keep thinking if something like this happened to my bairns, I would like to think people would do the same for me."