A MOTHER-of-three will be running the Great North Run to raise money for a charity which saved her son’s life after he was found drowned at the bottom of a garden pond.

Paula Holm, along with her friend Sarah Armitage, 31, from Baldock will be raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital after her son, Jonah was found drowned in the garden pond which had been drained but had filled with rain water.

The accident happened in March last year when Jonah, 19 months’ old at the time, was playing with his brother and sister in the garden at the family home in Chilvers Bank.

Mrs Holm, who will join 52,000 other runners, said: “The children had been playing on the patio while a friend, Helen, and I were having lunch. After a while I popped upstairs while my friend read a book to my six-year-old daughter.

“My three-year-old son, Levi and his brother were playing in the garden. Levi must have decided to come inside and closed the door leaving Jonah outside.”

A neighbour had caught sight of Jonah face down in the pond and tried to get Mrs Holm’s attention.

Mrs Holm’s friend, who is paediatric nurse, managed to pull the toddler out of the pond and resuscitated him at the scene.

“It took Helen eight minutes to get a pulse, he was then taken to Lister Hospital where he was critically ill and was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital,” said Mrs Holm.

Jonah was in a coma in intensive care for three days.

Despite scans showing a significant amount of brain damage and irregular brain activity Jonah came out of the coma and went from strength to strength in his recovery.

Paula and her family were provided with accommodation the whole time Jonah was in hospital, play therapists worked with Jonah’s older siblings who had witnessed their brother being resuscitated and Jonah spent most of his recovery period in the charity funded sensory rooms.

The Great North Run will take place in Newcastle on September 16 and joining the pair on the day will be double Olympic gold medal winner Mo Farah.

To sponsor Paula and Sarah visit www.justgiving.com/Paula-Holm0