Rishton woman was shot in face by Derrick Bird

Friends revealed the details of the horrific shooting in an exclusive interview with the Lancashire Telegraph.

Pam Marsden said Bird drove past her friend Fiona Moretta, 52, of Rishton, as she walked down a quiet country lane, before stopping and reversing.

When he was metres away he told her he was going to kill himself.

Suddenly, Bird shot her in the head, aiming for her face as he had done for many of his victims.

Friends said that she was able to turn her head slightly before she was hit and the bullet hit her in the right hand side of her head, breaking her jaw.

Shrapnel also entered her throat.

Bird then drove off, leaving her lying on the floor. He shot three other people in the hamlet before turning the gun on himself.

Miraculously, Ms Moretta was able to stand moments later, and flag down passing motorists.

The first person on the scene was an off-duty intensive care nurse.

But, because the region had been 'locked down' by police, she was unable to get full medical care until she was driven to West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven around an hour later.

She was initially described as being in a critical condition and was transferred to Cumberland Hospital in Carlisle by an officer in a police car.

Despite 'horrific' injuries Ms Moretta is now recovering in Cumberland Hospital, Carlilse, and could even be home within days.

She was on a week-long short break with seven friends from a Tai Chi class and taking a walk when Bird, who killed 12 and critically injured 11, turned the gun on himself.

The mum-of-two, who is a steward at Rishton Methodist Church and works as a home carer for disabled children, is positive about her condition, friends said.

She has undergone a tracheotomy operation to free her airway.

Ms Moretta is unable to talk at present, and is communicating by writing.

Friends, and trip organisers, Pam and her husband Stephen, said they had been horrified that she had been targeted.

Pam, a Tai Chi tutor, organised the getaway in the picturesque western Lake District to help her friends get away from the stresses of life.

She said: "For this to happen to Fiona was horrendous but she is doing so well.

"When she was taken to hospital she was on the critical list but her recovery has been amazing.

"To see her now you would hardly know there was anything wrong with her and hopefully she will be home soon."

At the time of the shooting, Fiona was on a walk from her self-catering accommodation, at the Eskdale Centre in Boot, to Eskdale Green.

She had gone out for the walk on her own while some of her friends went to the beach and others, including the Marsdens, took a trip on the La'al Ratty steam engine.

Pam said: "She was very lucky when you think about it.

"He killed so many people on that day and she survived.

"In a way it is absolutely incredible that she is still with us.

"She enjoys Tai Chi and I believe that helped her because it allowed her to control her breathing and remain calm despite what had happened to her."

She said that initially they had no idea what had happened to their friend when she didn't return to their accommodation.

Pam said: "We had arranged to meet back at the room at 6pm and she took the key.

"When it got to around 7.45pm we started to panic and we managed to find a detective who was able to make checks and told us about half-an-hour later that she had been shot.

"It was a terrible shock. We got to the hospital in Whitehaven but they said she had been moved to Carlisle.

"When we got to that hospital it was past midnight but they let us see her.

"It was obvious that she was seriously ill but even at that stage I could tell she was going to be alright.

"It has been a huge shock to everyone who knows her."

The identities of six people wounded by Derrick Bird have not yet emerged.

Fiona Moretta was one of 11 people critically injured by the gunman.

She was shot in Boot where Bird injured three other people before killing himself.

Boot is the last community of the foothills of the Cumbrian fells before the fields give way to wilderness.

The hamlet marked the end of his horrific murder spree through West Cumbria last Wednesday.

His twin brother David and solicitor Kevin Commons were killed first.

Bird then murdered 10 people in an hour over a 45-mile area, starting in Whitehaven at around 10.30am.

These included taxi driver Darren Rewcastle and former soldier Don Reed.

Kenneth Fishburn, a retired Sellafield worker in his 60s, was shot dead on the old bridge in Egremont.

A woman in her 60s called Susan Hughes was killed as she walked home with her shopping.

At 12.30pm the last eyewitness saw Bird alive.

Officers found his car dumped in Boot with one gun inside, and realised he was on foot with a rifle. He was then found dead.