Thailand balcony fall: Jill Dodds 'overwhelmed' as £30,000 raised

Jill Dodds is confined to bed in a Thai hospital but is slowly regaining movement in her arms

A teacher badly injured in a fall from a Thailand balcony has been overwhelmed by an appeal to bring her home which has raised more than £30,000.

Jill Dodds, 47, sustained spinal injuries on 18 December when the balcony gave way and she plunged 20ft (6m) and landed in a skip.

Katie Breeze, 39, of Morpeth, Northumberland, is coordinating efforts to try to return her sister to the UK.

She told BBC Look North the money would go towards flights and medical care.

"She has done a little thank-you video on YouTube and got a bit emotional at the end. I don't think she thought it would take off as much as it has," she said.

"Apart from the donations, it is all the support and messages that people have sent with them. She is really overwhelmed with that."

• Plea to bring teacher back to UK

Ms Dodds, who moved from Northumberland to Thailand six years ago, was taking selfies with a friend at an end-of-term party when the balcony gave way.

The fall left her with a crushed vertebrae and no movement below her hips.

Katie Breeze says a medical assistance company is helping to get the documents needed to bring her sister home

With physiotherapy she has been able to sit up in her hospital bed in "short bursts" of 10 seconds, which represents "really good progress", Ms Breeze said.

"She has always been really determined and optimistic she is going to get through this," she added.

"She still doesn't have a lot of movement in her legs and even though she has more control of her arms and can nudge things, she has no use of her fingers so she is a bit frustrated.

"At heart she is a design teacher and does a lot of creative work with ceramics, pottery and textiles, so that is going to be very frustrating for her not to be able to do things like that."

Ms Breeze said the majority of the money raised so far would go towards flights to bring Ms Dodds back to the UK with a doctor or nurse, as well as creating a comfortable environment for her at home.

Jill Dodds was taking selfies with a friend when the balcony she was standing on gave way

There are also some outstanding bills for her treatment at a Thai government hospital, with Ms Dodds' insurance not covering all the follow-up care she now requires.

"We talk to her every day online but the worst thing is being so far away and not being able to talk to the doctors directly to get information from them ourselves," Ms Breeze said.

"We just want her back, to have her here with us, and to know exactly what is going on. It is really frustrating.

"At the minute we are just waiting for a date when we can get her discharged from the hospital. We are hoping it is going to be very soon."

Ms Dodds initially went to Thailand on an extended holiday but "fell in love" with the country, her sister said.

She has taught at various schools there and currently works at Panyadee, the British International School of Samui.