Less than 18 months ago Kyle Fulton was fighting for his life after a serious mountain bike accident at woods in Setmurthy, near Cockermouth.

But the 15-year-old has made a remarkable recovery from the ordeal which saw him spend more than three weeks in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Kyle’s story began when he went mountain biking with his friend Josh Skelton, 15, of Dearham, one day in June 2015.

The accident then happened, but within minutes 25 members of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team attended the scene.

The group had been on a training exercise nearby and were able to stabilise, assess and treat him.

Kyle then went to Newcastle where he spent three days in a coma in the intensive care unit and then three weeks in the neurology ward where he underwent extensive physio and rehabilitation.

The Cockermouth School pupil suffered a major traumatic brain injury and has had to learn how to walk, talk and write again.

But he is now moving forward with his life and will take his GCSEs next year.

Kyle says: “I remember pushing my bike to the top of the hill, but I can’t remember anything until the second week I was in hospital.

“I woke up and I could not feel my left side, my speech wasn’t good and I couldn’t move my arm or my leg.”

Despite the extent of his injuries, he returned to school during the last week of the summer term and did some half days.

On the day of the accident, the family received a call from Josh’s dad to say Kyle had been hurt.

Kyle was wearing all his protective clothing at the time of the accident and he believes that it also played a part in saving him.

After being treated by the mountain rescue team, he was taken by air ambulance to hospital.

Dad Keith, 45, runs Fulton’s Landrovers, near Branthwaite, and the family live nearby. His mum is Linzi, 42, and Kyle has a younger brother Spencer, 13.

Keith has organised two fundraisers this year to raise money for Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team and has made £1,500.

He says: “It was a big shock. It was devastating and I was anxious waiting to get to Kyle and to find what was actually wrong.

“The mountain rescue team did a tremendous job and organised everything, including stabilising him, putting him on the air stretcher, and organised the air ambulance.

“I wanted to give something back, simply because we were so appreciative with what the team did that day.”

Since the accident, Kyle has got his fitness levels back up and has taken part in two triathlons.

The teenager has also returned to mountain biking and hopes to run his own joinery or electrician business.

Kyle adds: “I’m lucky that I’m still here and that I’m not having any major after-effects. I’m not that bad now."