This time last year, life looked very different for the Tutt family.

Siblings Grace, Bella and Charlie were the best of friends, dad Andrew was enjoying his job as a facilities manager and mum Melanie was loving hers at the local nursery.

But within days the New Ash Green family saw their world turned upside down when Andrew was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and Grace was involved in a catastrophic bus crash suffering life-changing injuries.

Six months on from her accident, the 12-year-old is still in hospital recovering but surprising her family and doctors every day with her progress.

On Wednesday, May 22, the bus taking Grace from Wrotham School to New Ash Green was involved in a crash with a tractor on the A227 South Street in Meopham, near Culverstone Green.

Twelve children and the driver were taken to hospital, three of whom had serious injuries, and four others were treated by paramedics at the scene.

Grace was airlifted to King’s College Hospital, in London, in a serious but stable condition but given just a 20% chance of surviving.

Her dad Andrew said: “I will never forget the day we saw her in the emergency department. You could not even see her, there were so many consultants and trauma surgeons working on her.”

Grace had severed her spinal cord, had a fracture where her skull joined her spine and had a three-inch blood clot on her right-hand side which caused her to have six mini-strokes.

The youngster - who loved boxercise, dancing and weightlifting - underwent spinal surgery and now has metal plates “holding her together” but the family has been told she will never be able to walk again.

She suffered 23 separate injuries including a fractured eye socket and right cheek, seven ribs that were broken back and front, and a broken nose.

One of her strokes also caused nerve damage to her right vocal cord and right diaphragm which means she cannot talk and cannot breathe unaided.

However, Andrew said as her body heals she may recover her voice and come off her tracheotomy.

Grace was the most seriously injured physically in the crash and dad Andrew, 56, and his wife, Melanie, 43, sometimes think: “Why us?”

But they also know some of the other children who were on that bus, many who have invisible and physical scars from the crash, and would never wish what has happened to Grace on anyone else.

Life for the family looks completely different now, as the pair battle to keep a sense of normality for their younger children - Bella, 10, and Charlie, nine - while also supporting their eldest.

They are somewhat acting as single parents as they take it in turns to either stay at the hospital with Grace or be at home with her siblings.

He said: “It is incredibly tough and is physically and emotionally draining.

“Grace has no recollection of the accident. Some of the others saw and heard what happened. It is horrendous for them but it is a relief there were no fatalities.

“There are times when you think ‘how has this happened and why?’ Sometimes I have flashbacks of life before the accident or see a photo of Grace around the house and feel sad.

“But then we think about how she was and how far she has come.”

It has now been six months since the accident and while Grace is still in hospital, her dad said she is making “amazing” progress.

She has just spent 10 days with spinal specialists at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire, to assess her for future rehab treatment and, while there, she has been able to make her own food, tea and push her wheelchair.

The dad-of-three added: “She has made some really good progress. I think the doctors are quite surprised.

“Six months feels like a lot of time but it is not. They are really pleased with her and it means she is going in the right direction.

“To see where we were six months ago and where we are now, it is a miracle. She is doing incredibly well.

“Her chances of survival were quite low and we changed as a family. We have to deal with what happened, move on and that is now becoming possible.

“From how bad she was to where she is now has given people a lot of hope that you can be in that situation and recover. It is amazing.”

The family hope Grace, who will celebrate her 13th birthday on Monday (November 25), will be transferred from King’s to Stoke Mandeville in the New Year where she will be able to focus on rehab and physiotherapy.

Following the accident, a family friend set up a JustGiving page to raise money for the then-Year 8 pupil, which surpassed its £100,000 target in a few days.

It has now reached almost £200,000. You can donate here if you wish.

Andrew said the family have been overwhelmed with the response. He added: “I was not that keen at first as I wanted to put all my attention into Grace and we did not know how she was going to be.

“It is all for Grace to use however she wants. It is an unbelievable piggy bank of money that she can do what she likes with and we are so grateful to everyone who has contributed.”

Days before Grace’s accident, Andrew had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease following months of uncertainty over his health.

A year ago he was thrown into a series of tests, X-rays and hospital appointments when his chiropractor noticed him limping slightly on his right leg.

Following an electroencephalogram (EEG) - a test that measures brainwaves - on his legs, consultants discovered they were not reacting as quickly as they should.

More examinations followed, including a lumbar puncture, as medics attempted to determine what could be the reason for the way Andrew was walking and why he was suddenly losing his balance.

In December, he found out there had been a deterioration in the part of his brain controlling his balance and he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

He said: “I can walk, but if someone bumps into me I will just fall over. Over the last few months, my walking has got worse.

“It is not one size fits all with motor neurone disease. It affects different people in different ways, which is why it is so hard to deal with.”

However, he pushed his diagnosis to the back of his mind while he threw all his attention into helping and supporting his daughter.

“The attention is all on Grace at the moment, as it completely should be,” he added. “I have just been told to keep taking my tablets, look after myself and make sure I eat properly.

“I want to put 100% of my efforts and attention into supporting Grace and being there for her. She is the most important thing.”

Following the crash, a 33-year-old man from East Sussex was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was later bailed and this has been extended until June 1, 2025, pending further investigation.

Additional reporting by Keely Greenwood