A landlady who escaped death by surviving two critical brain operations has been raising cash as a thank-you to her doctors.

Twelve months ago Sarah Gledhill, 37, licensee of the The Top House pub at Odsal, faced an uncertain future after suffering a double brain haemorrhage. Doctors warned Mrs Gledhill and husband Martin, 45, that she faced paralysis or death after making the frightening diagnosis.

However, the couple are now looking forward to a sunshine holiday after Mrs Gledhill fought back to make a full recovery.

She said: "It all started off with a lot of headaches and blurred vision. About two weeks later I was working behind the bar when I experienced shooting pains in my head. A week on it happened again - it was like fireworks were going off inside my head. It was unbelievably painful, and I also lost all feeling in my arms and legs."

Mrs Gledhill was rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary were scans revealed she had suffered a brain haemorrhage. Less than 48 hours later she was on the operating table at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI).

Doctors told Mr Gledhill his wife's life lay in the balance. "I was informed she could die or she may be paralysed," he said.

After spending three days in the hospital's high-dependency unit, Mrs Gledhill began to recover and was moved to the wards where she spent a further three weeks.

Family, friends and regulars from The Top House rallied round. Close friends Peter and Sheila Kearns and Jimmy and Sheena Mills even split the pub's rota to keep it open.

However, despite improving day-by-day, Mrs Gledhill's nightmare was not over.

When doctors first diagnosed the haemorrhage, she was told two veins had in fact burst. One had been repaired but Mrs Gledhill now had to face the surgeon's knife a second time. "It was like walking around with a time-bomb," Mrs Gledhill said.

On March 24 this year she was once more operated on by world-renowned brain surgeon Jake Timothy at LGI. This time round she made a much quicker recovery, and she received the "all-clear" recently.

To thank the doctors and medical staff at LGI, the Gledhills organised a charity doctors and nurses night and family cricket match at Bankfoot Cricket Club.

A total of £500 raised from both events will be donated to the Leeds Neurotrauma Symposium, a fund set-up by Mr Timothy to alert doctors nationwide to the symptoms surrounding brain trauma. Mrs Gledhill said: "I want to say thank you to all the medical staff at Bradford and Leeds and to my family, friends and regulars."