Melanie sits up for the first time after pioneering surgery

A young woman from Northumberland has been able to sit up in a wheelchair for the first time in years after pioneering surgery in Spain.

Melanie Hartshorn from Cramlington raised more than £90,000 to pay for an operation to have her neck and skull fused together by a surgeon in Barcelona.

The 27-year-old has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which causes weakness in her joints and has left her completely bed bound. She says the surgery was "100% worth it".