An eight-year-old boy was scalped in a horror crash outside his home after he was knocked off his scooter by a car.

Little Charlie Golden, from Aylesham, ended up in a coma fighting for his life after the accident, which also fractured his pelvis in four places.

So bad were his injuries, that a nurse held his head for five hours as doctors struggled to stop the bleeding.

But medics managed to save his life after two blood transfusions and is now recovering at home in Queen's Road.

Eight months on, his parents have spoken about the accident for the first time as they urge more people to become blood donors.

"Charlie suffered a massive blow to the head that removed his scalp and fractured his pelvis in four places," Lauren said.

"A hospital nurse held his head for five hours as they couldn’t stop the bleeding and the doctors said they weren’t sure if he was going to make it."

Charlie was put into a coma at the roadside before being airlifted to King's College Hospital in London after the accident.

Lauren and Paul have since signed up to blood donor sessions.

"The other day, I received a text message telling me which hospital my blood has been issued at," said Lauren.

"All I could think of were those amazing people who received that same text when their donation saved my Charlie’s life."

In gratitude for his treatment, the family is holding a fundraising event in May for the Kent Air Ambulance and Ronald McDonald House in Camberwell, where they stayed while Charlie was in hospital.

Among the items being auctioned will be a boxing glove and t-shirt signed by Joe Calzaghe, as well as signed football shirts.

Mike Stredder, the head of donor recruitment for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “All our donors are amazing.

"But we need more men to start donating blood in the south east.

"Men’s blood can be used in extraordinary, life-saving ways, but we don’t have enough new male donors coming forward.

"This is not about recruiting as many donors as possible – it’s about getting the right gender mix."

• To find out more about becoming a blood donor visit www.blood.co.uk

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