Nursery nurse Lisa Potts who risked her life to protect a group of children from a machete attack has praised a campaign in Bradford schools to step up security.

The 23-year-old, who suffered serious knife wounds in the incident in Wolverhampton in July 1996, is launching a book next month about her experiences.

She said that almost two years on, she still gets terrible flashbacks which forced her to give up the job she loved.

She was speaking at an event at Sunwin Peugeot in Keighley entitled Woman at the Wheel which aimed to raise awareness of the problems faced by female drivers by giving advice on road safety and dangerous driving situations. Joining her was radio DJ Gary Davies

Lisa was helping to organise a teddy bear's picnic with a school reception class when a man armed with a machete leapt into the playground and began attacking the children.

She suffered deep knife wounds and now has little feeling in one hand and is undergoing constant physiotherapy.

"Sometimes I can remember the whole thing like it was yesterday and other times it feels like it was years ago," she said.

"I had to leave the nursery in the end because it was just too painful.

"I would hear children screaming and shouting in the playground and would feel panicked like I was being strangled.

"At the worst point I was getting up to 20 flashbacks a day.

"The court case was very harrowing as I had to relive it all again and I was given the machete to hold.

"I still can't believe it happened and I didn't think about what I was doing.

"It was instinctive. I knew I had to protect the children so I went back three times trying to get them all out.

"It's important to make children aware of what could happen which is why the project in Bradford is such a good idea.

"People automatically think that schools are safe but it's just not true any more."

Schools across the district are being encouraged to increase safety awareness among teachers and pupils by signing up for special training sessions run by Bradford Council and Keighley College.

The sessions give tips on combating vandalism, personal safety and protection of pupils.

Lisa, who still lives at home with her parents in Wolverhampton, has won 18 bravery awards including the George Medal and 1997 Woman of the Year.

She has helped write a children's prayer book, does work for children's charities and her book, Behind the Smile, which is about the attack, is released in July.

She said: "In a way so many positive things have come out of this tragedy but I would give it all back in a second if it meant those children wouldn't have to have those terrible scars for the rest of their lives."

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