Floral tributes along with touching messages have been laid at the entrance of a Darlington school as a community mourns the tragic death of a 10-year-old pupil.
Leah Harrison, 10, who was a year six pupil at Mount Pleasant Primary School in Darlington lost her life when a mudslide struck during a school trip on Wednesday (May 22).
She was with fellow pupils on an instructor-led walk at Carlton Adventure Centre, near Carlton-in-Cleveland, using a "popular" route when the incident happened.
Emergency services made up of some 40 volunteers tried for hours to rescue Leah but it was sadly later confirmed she had passed away.
Condolences have flooded in for the much-loved girl and fellow pupils, family and friends left a carpet of floral tributes to her at the school.
One card read: "To my Darlington Goddaughter . Heartbreaking. RIP my Angel xx. Love Aunty Dawn xxx".
Others read: "Fly High beautiful Leah. You're in our hearts forever and never ever forgotten ❤ Sending so much love to the family and thinking of you all " and "Today is a darker day as a beautiful ray of sunlight has been taken away. A lovely girl with an amazing smile and a funny laugh. We will miss you always."
A card jointly signed by pupils included messages such as "Please come back to use, we can't cope without you", "You were like a sister to use" and "I hope you are having a nice time in heaven".
Tributes from her family have described Leah as a "beautiful" girl who will "never ever be forgotten".
Her family said on social media: "God only takes the best, please let me tell you he's taken the best there ever was!
"I've been asked to put a message on to thank everyone who has messaged, called and said their condolences it has not gone unnoticed but as a family we are still taking in what has happened to our beautiful Leah.
"Please may we ask for people to give us this time to grieve and come to terms with this news. We all appreciate everything everyone is doing.
"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."
Chief Executive of the Lingfield Education Trust, Nick Blackburn has spoken on behalf of the school, paying tribute to Leah and adding that the school community remains in a "state of shock".
Mr Blackburn said: “Leah had her heart set on being a Lioness. She was a really friendly, lovely and bubbly pupil at the school who was well-loved by her friends and the school community.
“We have layers of support here at the school, we have an in-school counsellor who is available for all children today.
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“We are also working with a specialist trauma counsellor for some of the pupils who were on the trip.”
The council-run site issued a statement expressing their devastation at the news as they confirmed a full investigation into the incident will be carried out.
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