Seven-year-old boy rescued after fall near Plankey Mill

Finley Strachan slipped and fell off a woodland path at Plankey Mill down onto the rocky river bed below.

The boy had been enjoying a day out with his father John, mum Aimie and four-year-old sister Matilda.

"It was a lovely day so we thought we would just take them up to Plankey Mill," said John. "I've only been once or twice when I was younger.

"We found a lovely little place, had a picnic and it was idyllic really."

Finley with his sister Matilda, dad John and mum Aimie

John said they decided to leave at around 2.30pm to go to Hexham for an ice cream.

As they were walking back, Matilda ran off just in front of them, John said.

"Finley chased after her and they're at that age, they're quite competitive so we shouted them back because we knew that the path was fairly dangerous further up," he said.

"We said 'stop, stop!' So they did. But as Finley stopped, he was on the right side of the path and his foot just slipped - because of the dry weather, the grit on the path was almost like dust if you like.

"I saw his foot slip and his body kind of spun around. Both my wife and I, we just saw everything in slow motion and it was just horrific.

"We both just dropped everything and ran. He was only 10m in front of us, not far at all. I was hoping that by the time I got there and looked behind a tree, I was hoping that I'd see him there holding onto something. But when I got there and I couldn't see him, my heart just sank. 

"The first part of the bank was really steep but I managed to get down to the tree just so I could see over the ledge, and there was about a 15ft drop down onto the river bed where I saw him amongst these rocks unconscious. I screamed and called his name, and he didn't respond.

"I was frantic then. I was frantically trying to get down but it was too high, I couldn't.

"I kept shouting his name, I saw his arm move and then I saw his head move and he started crying. I was so happy to see him move."

John managed to reach Finley, while his wife and people on the riverbank called for an ambulance.

Paramedics and a fire crew arrived before Finley was airlifted to the RVI in Newcastle by the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

"He had a gash to his head which had bled initially, but it wasn't pumping blood," said John. "It was a nasty cut, but it was superficial."

Finley, whose family live in Whitley Bay, also had bad bruising on his back.

He was kept in overnight and had various tests and scans which showed he had no broken bones, internal damage or other serious injuries.

He was discharged on Friday and is currently resting and recuperating at home.

Finley with his dad John

"We're delighted that's he's ok," said John. "He's still a bit lethargic and a bit withdrawn but he's here and he hasn't got any broken bones or anything more serious which is a miracle really."

John added: "It was just a freak thing. 

"My wife and myself are both primary school teachers. I write risk assessments on a weekly basis so I knew that this path was dangerous, but they're kids and they ran in front of us momentarily, 10m in front.

"If he had been two inches to the left or two inches to the right, it would be a very different story because he would have landed square on the rocks. As it happened, he landed on a tiny area, on a mossy rock.

"I can't figure out how he didn't break anything. The doctors and nurses were saying he's been so lucky."

John wants to locate and thank the people who helped them on the day at Plankey Mill, including a man - he believes he is named Martin - who brought snacks for Finley while they were waiting for the emergency services and also gave him his t-shirt to keep him warm.

A local farmer also drove one of his vehicles to the scene, which was used to put the stretcher on so they could reach the air ambulance quicker.

"The people who were there were just amazing," said John. "I'm eternally grateful.

"It has restored my faith in humanity."

John also wants to thank the emergency services who helped them, saying they were "incredible".