A woman who battled the odds to survive after being born 14 weeks early has graduated from university.

Nicola Golding strived for success at school despite the premature birth 21 years ago leaving her with cerebral palsy.

Nicola, of Staveley Road, Ingrow, will next month return to Teesside University to receive her multimedia journalism degree.

The award is tribute to the determination of Nicola and her parents to overcome the physical constraints of her condition.

Nicola was hailed a “miracle baby” after her mother Eileen had to undergo an emergency caesarean section due to high blood pressure.

Nicola, who weighed just 1lb 14½oz at birth, spent several months in the special care baby unit at Airedale Hospital.

Soon after the birth, Eileen told the Keighley News that it was “hard to believe something so small could live”, and she and Nicola’s father Terry praised their tiny daughter’s fighting spirit.

That spirit was vital in helping Nicola overcome disabilities that, according to some health staff, would badly affect her progress through life.

Nicola this week told the Keighley News how her parents had always tried to get her to do everything she could.

She said: “When I was first diagnosed, my mum got told I’d be lucky to walk round a supermarket at best.

“It was supposed to take me a long time to crawl but my mum got down on the floor to help me. She taught me in a week and her knees were cracked and bleeding.

“It would never have entered my mum’s head not to send me to a mainstream school.”

Nicola praised teachers and fellow students for the great help they gave throughout her time at Ingrow and Oakbank schools.

She said: “Everyone rallied round to ensure I could manage. My mum and dad obviously had a massive input.”

When it came to university, Nicola said she knew she had to move away from home to prove to herself she could cope.

She added: “I wanted to go the whole hog. Supported Living helped me with cooking, and in my final year I moved in with a good group of friends.”

Nicola said that the few people who were negative towards her simply acted as motivation for her to prove them wrong.

Eileen said: “Nicola was very independent and tried to be like other children. She’s always been very bright and very forward.

“We always pushed her. We said to Nicola: ‘you’ve got a disability but we’re not going to class you as disabled’.”