Boy who fell into Northumberland river writes letter of thanks to his rescuers

Finley Strachan, from Whitley Bay, had been enjoying a day out with his family last month at Plankey Mill when he slipped 15-feet down a bank into the water.

Remarkably, the seven-year-old escaped with only superficial injuries and he has now written to thank the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) who helped him.

Finley’s mum, Aimie, said: “We had been at Allen Banks and Staward Gorge in Hexham for the day paddling in the water and enjoying the weather.

“We live in North Tyneside, so this was a day trip out for my husband John and I, Finley, and our four-year-old daughter, Matilda.”

The family of four were walking back to the car to get ice cream when the children started skipping ahead.

Aimie said: “We told the kids to stop and then it all happened so fast.

“Finley slipped down the bank into the water below. The ground was so dry due to the hot weather that it just gave way and crumbled when he stood on it.”

“John had to double back to gain access to the water. I was terrified that Finley was unconscious because he wasn’t responding to any of our calls.”

Due to the location of the accident, phone signal was limited and although John called out for someone to ring 999, there was no reception.

Aimie said: “I ran to the next lot of people who were paddling in the water, and I was screaming for help.

“People managed to get to Finley and one man could see that he was shivering and gave him the t-shirt off his back to wear.

“It wasn’t long after this that the emergency services arrived, and the fire crew winched him up from the river and onto a stretcher.”

The air ambulance landed nearby, then an all-terrain vehicle drove him from the scene to the helicopter where he was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle by the charity’s doctor, paramedic and pilot team.

Aimie said: “We didn’t know the extent of his injuries as he landed on rocks, but we could see a gash to his head and scrape on his bank. He had an ultrasound, a CT scan, and X-rays and spent the night in the RVI.”

“His wounds miraculously were all superficial and his head was able to be glued. The care he received from everyone involved was incredible.

“We are especially grateful to the GNAAS crew who got Finley to the hospital so quickly.”

GNAAS is dependent on donations to survive and has launched a raffle with a top prize of £10,000 to help it meet rising demand for its services. Tickets cost £1 each and are available now at https://gna.as/2022raffle