Girl (11) rescued after Ardglass cliff fall

Girl (11) rescued after Ardglass cliff fall

30 September 2020

A SCHOOLGIRL was rescued from a cliff edge at Ardglass last Sunday afternoon after she slipped and fell.

A major rescue operation swung into action after the 11 year-old slipped 20 feet down a steep bank before coming to a stop at the top of a 30 foot cliff.

The incident occurred at the second hole of Ardglass Golf Club as the young girl was walking along the top of the steep grass bank above the cliff.

Last July, the emergency services rushed to the same area when a man fishing on rocks at the base of the cliff became seriously ill. He was rescued and subsequently transferred to hospital.

Last Sunday, Newcastle, Kilkeel and Portaferry Coastguard teams were tasked to the golf club and set up cliff rescue equipment, successfully recovering the young girl, while Portaferry RNLI maintained a watching brief offshore.

Coastguard volunteers were able to winch the girl to the top of the cliff where she was reunited with her parents. She did not require medical attention.

In addition to assisting the girl, Coastguard volunteers also recovered a member of the public who had tried to climb from the bottom of the cliff up to help the girl, with the rescue operation co-ordinated by Belfast Coastguard Operations Centre.

Norman Bridges — based at the Belfast Coastguard operations centre — said a member of the public reacted quickly on seeing the accident and did the right thing by immediately calling 999 for the Coastguard.

“All in all, it was a great job by everyone involved. If you see someone in difficulty at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

Councillor Dermot Curran, who lives in Ardglass, has praised all those involved in the weekend rescue.

He said the Coastguard has been rightly praised for its swift response to the incident involving the young girl with the highly professional volunteers who are on call 24/7 showing what a critically important service they provide across the district.

“Coastguard volunteers are out in all weathers, quite often in the most challenging of conditions, working in tandem with other arms of the emergency services,” Cllr Curran continued.

“These dedicated and committed individuals, many of whom have full-time jobs, are ready to respond at a moment’s notice, just as they did last Sunday afternoon when the alarm was raised.”

Cllr Curran said the volunteers are very much part of the community and are committed to helping those in need. 

“They provide an outstandingly professional service and the fact that they often work in tandem alongside police and paramedics to provide a professional response to emergency situations is testament to their high skill levels and training,” he continued.

Cllr Curran said volunteers who are members of the Coastguard and RNLI are among the community’s unsung heroes, ready to respond to emergencies at a moment’s notice.

He added: “We cannot thank the emergency services for what they do and are are fortunate that they are on hand to respond when others get into difficulty and distress.

“Everyone is pleased that the young girl who fell did not sustain serious injuries was rescued and reunited with her parents.”