Charlotte Robinson was left fighting for her life after falling from a moped in Malia, Crete, just a day before her 19th birthday.

However, the distraught family of the popular Topshop worker were dealt further heartache after her insurance company refused to pay for treatment or to fly her home, saying she did not take "due care" as she was not wearing a helmet when the accident happened.

Charlotte's friends and colleagues at Top Shop in Burnley town centre are now planning to help the family raise the £20,000 needed to bring her home. The campaign is being led by her sisters Kim (23) and Sarah (21) while their parents, Helen and Andrew, continue to hold a vigil at her bedside. Staff, friends, family members and well-wishers are all doing their bit to help.

Mrs Tracy Jonak, store manager at Burnley Topshop, said: "We will be doing something to help bring Charlotte back home. The girls at the store are looking to organise a sponsored walk in the near future but we will do whatever we can to help out.

"Charlotte has worked here since February and settled in straight away. She has a lot of friends here and is a very popular member of the team. She is really bubbly and gets on with everyone. She is fun-loving and would do anything to help anyone. We are 100% behind the cause to bring Charlotte back home so we hope to raise some much needed funds. We just want her back."

It is believed that £1,300 has been raised so far through bag-packing at the Asda store in Hulme and generous donations from members of the public.

Her sister Kim said: "The family has been overwhelmed by the support that has been shown so far. The response has been fantastic and I am very encouraged by everyone's thoughts and efforts. We are very hopeful of raising the money and bringing her back.

"It is definitely a long shot but it can be done. I will not stop until the target has been reached. The family seems to be coping well. We are very happy with the progress that she is making. She is stable and responding well. There is only a slight improvement being made every day but any progress is better than none."

Charlotte, who will have to have an emergency operation to reinsert a part of her skull, was riding on the back of a moped when it crashed into an industrial bin on a road. She was left lying on the road for 15 minutes before she was discovered and an ambulance was called to take her to hospital.

Kim added: "Hopefully with all the support that we are receiving we will be able to hit the mark and bring my sister home sooner rather than later. There are many people who miss her and love her so much and they are all doing so much to help. She is a beautiful and intelligent girl and we want her back."

The family's campaign is being run on Facebook under the group "Get Charlotte Robinson back home" where already more than 1,000 people have joined.