A council has been charged after a six-year-old girl was tragically killed by a falling tree whilst at school.
Ella Henderson suffered a number of injuries at her school in Gosforth Park First School, Newcastle, when a tree struck her on Friday, September 25, 2020.
The six-year-old tragically died the following day at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, despite the best efforts of medics.
Now, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a prosecution of Newcastle City Council.
The council has been charged and the first hearing will take place at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on January 10.
After her death, Ella’s family released a statement saying: “We feel incredibly blessed to have had her in our lives.
“We had the perfect family and she will live on in our hearts.”
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the family set up a fundraising page for the Great North Air Ambulance Service, which tried to save little Ella’s life.
They raised over £60,000 for the charity, and the family said: “Ella is our beautiful baby girl now and always.
“We want to say a heartfelt thank you to the teachers, emergency services and the staff at the RVI who did everything they could to help her.
“We are truly humbled by all the support and donations, even from people we have never met before.
“She was so brave and so strong, she brought so much joy to us, her big sister Abi, her family, her besties and all who she met.
“We feel incredibly blessed to have had her in our lives. We had the perfect family and she will live on in our hearts.”
