A woman who almost died in a horrific cycle accident has scooped a top job as a Government adviser on child poverty.

Lisa Harker, of Botley, lost her unborn child and was almost killed after being hit by an 18-tonne lorry near the Botley Road railway bridge. After making an amazing recovery, she became a dedicated campaigner for improvements to cycle safety in the city.

She has also been heavily involved with the fight against child poverty and was appointed independent adviser to the Department for Work and Pensions on Monday.

Mrs Harker, 37, hopes to help the DWP meet its pledge to wipe out child poverty by 2020. She will be challenging policy and presenting ideas about how it can achieve its targets.

She said: "While there's been some progress in terms of reducing child poverty, we still have a long way to go."

"Despite recent progress, several million children are still growing up in poverty in the UK. I look forward to playing my part in bringing forward ideas to strengthen efforts to tackle child poverty."

Mrs Harker has worked for the past three years as a consultant for think-tank IPPR and has also been an independent adviser for the Save The Children charity and the Child Poverty Action Group. She was deputy director of the Institute for Public Policy Research and is a director of Aspire Oxfordshire, which provides employment opportunities for homeless people.

Announcing Mrs Harker's appointment, Welfare Reform Minister Jim Murphy said: "Lisa has a wealth of experience and unrivalled expertise.

"I want her to use that to look at the work we have done so far and to consider what more we can do in advance of the publication of a new strategy later in the year."

Last year Mrs Harker presented Oxfordshire County Council with a petition of 2,000 names calling for better safety measures for cyclists in Botley Road.