A woman who was paralysed in a parachute jump has praised pioneering spinal cord research.

Penny Roberts, from Steeton, has praised recent research work by UK charity Spinal Research and is optimistic about the future.

The 39-year-old former nurse is confined to a wheelchair after her parachutes became tangled at 14,000ft on a jump in Florida, in 1995.

Penny suffered a broken neck and fractured skull. Her left shoulder blade and pelvis were shattered and she was not expected to live.

But Penny, although paralysed from the chest down, has gone on to regain some movement and gave birth to a son in 1998.

She welcomes the new research by Spinal Research, which has been hailed as one of the biggest scientific achievements ever.

Four centimetres of spinal cord regeneration has been achieved in the laboratory, and Spinal Research hopes that clinical trials will take place within three to five years.

The recent research work has identified at least three treatments that are able to stimulate nerve fibre regeneration in the spinal cord.

No individual treatment can bring about the complete repair of a spinal injury, but it could make a significant difference to people like Penny.

Penny said: "What I've lost is a lot more than just movement. I've never had the privacy to be with my son, just the two of us without a third party having to be there to help change his nappy, bathe him or dress him -- all the things I should have been doing as his mother.

"As he gets older his needs are changing and, although I can tell him how to do things, I can't physically show him how to do simple things like tie his own shoelaces.

"Gaining muscle tone and just a bit more movement would make me more independent.

"Walking is the last thing on my agenda at the moment. I just want my privacy back so I can spend some time alone with my son."

Spinal Research has identified an urgent need to make the transition from laboratory research to clinical trials with paralysed volunteers.

Spinal cord injury is not just about paralysis of the arms and legs. It also affects sensation, the body's control systems -- including bladder and bowel control and sexual function.

The psychological impact is also severe. If the research could be applied to the treatment of patients with high level injuries they could regain movement in their arms and hands, or breathe unaided, making a huge difference to the quality of life.

Chief executive of Spinal Research Jonathan Miall explained: "One of our treatments involves taking nerve cells from the olfactory system -- the cells that give us our sense of taste and smell -- and using them to bridge the ends of severed spinal cords.

"If research continues at its current rate, partial repair of damaged spinal cord could be feasible within ten years -- up until now this has not been possible in humans."

He added: "Just four centimetres would represent a colossal triumph for science and medicine. All of us can now start to believe that damaged spinal cords can be repaired, and that is a breakthrough in itself. It is time to start making some history."

To make a donation or for more information on the work of Spinal Research, phone 01483 898786 or log on to www.spinal-research.org.