Council suspends outdoor activities after County Durham child died in mudslide during instructor-led walk
Ten-year-old Leah Harrison was on an instructor-led forest walk when she died in a mudslide incident.
Leah was on a school trip with Carlton Adventure on Wednesday afternoon (May 22) when emergency services were called to an incident at Carlton Bank. The outdoor education centre, which is operated by Hartlepool Borough Council, offers a range of activities including residential trips for schools, colleges and youth groups.
The council has now temporarily suspended all outdoor activities and residential breaks as an investigation takes place, TeessideLive reports. Denise McGuckin, managing director of the council, said: "We can confirm that a tragic incident occurred during one of the centre's instructor-led outdoor education forest walks near to Carlton-in-Cleveland yesterday.
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"We are utterly devastated and heartbroken and our thoughts are with Leah's family and friends and all those affected.
"We are working closely with our partner agencies to carry out a full investigation and we are temporarily suspending all outdoor activities and residential breaks managed by the council. Whilst the investigation is being carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."
Earlier, Leah's family paid tribute to the youngster, saying: "Leah Harrison, the happy, bubbly, go-lucky little girl. The beautiful smile, the giddy laugh, the silly jokes.
"You will never ever be forgotten baby girl. You will achieve your dream and become a player for the Lionesses.
"Spread those wings. May you rest in paradise."
Leah, who was a pupil at Mount Pleasant Primary School in Darlington, passed away following the tragic incident at Carlton-in-Cleveland on Wednesday. Nick Blackburn, chief executive of the Lingfield Education Trust, which runs the school, said: "The full details are still emerging but this is clearly a heartbreaking tragedy.
"Leah was a much-loved part of our school and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and the school staff. Counselling is being arranged within the school for pupils and staff.
"We are all in a state of shock and we would ask that the privacy of the family and the school community is respected while we try to come to terms with what has happened."
North Yorkshire Police issued a statement on Wednesday which read: "We are currently responding to a mudslide at Carlton-in-Cleveland. We can confirm that one person has sadly died as a result of the incident. Our thoughts are with their family and friends during this difficult time."