Elaine Anstead's body was in plaster and she was in terrible pain as a result of a rare spinal condition, writes Rebecca Smith.

But she never gave up hope of making a recovery - and is now running her own bridal shop.

Elaine, 46, of Mayfield Close, Chalgrove, was in plaster from her neck to her bottom for three months.

She said: "It was like being a tortoise carrying that around. I was doing well in my job at Sainsbury's, but had to give up and go on incapacity benefit. "There was just no way I was going to give up. I was going to fight right to the end."

Elaine was nominated for an award by Oxford College of Further Education, in Oxpens Road, Oxford, after she went back to college to learn needlework.

She is now running her own dressmaking company, Beau Bells, from home.

She said: "When I started the business, I didn't know how to sew on a button so I went to college to learn and now three years on, it is doing well."

Elaine, who now employs four seamstresses, was nominated in the Adult Learners Week Awards 99 for the central region.

Story date: Tuesday 25 May

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