A HEARTBROKEN father made a sad pilgrimage yesterday to the scene where his 16-year-old daughter lost her life exactly a year ago.
Terri Ellwood had been on her first holiday without her parents in Filey, North Yorkshire, when she fell to her death from Gristhorpe Cliffs.
Yesterday her father, Terry Ellwood, from Peterlee, County Durham, travelled to the Blue Dolphin caravan park where his daughter had been staying with her boyfriend's family, to place a seat in her memory.
An inscription on the seat bears the words "In Memory of our Precious Daughter, Terri Ann Ellwood'' and the simple ceremony to place the chair was a reminder to her father and other members of her family who had joined him at the caravan park of the tragic night 12 months ago.
Still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, Mr Ellwood said he had been even more devastated to find that the cliff top from where Terri fell, along with another member of the holiday party who survived, was still unsecured.
"I approached the authorities and asked them to put fencing along the cliff top from where Terri fell 100ft to her death, but all they have done is put up a few small warning notices," he said.
"It was night-time when Terri and her friend fell and you couldn't possibly see the signs in the dark,'' said Mr Ellwood.
Determined another family should not endure the same grief, he pledged yesterday: "I am going to talk to the authorities again, this is a very dangerous spot and someone else could easily fall over the edge.''
He also recalled some of the nightmare details of a year ago when Terri had been out for an evening walk with her boyfriend and others.
She had walked ahead with a friend and in the darkness the last thing her boyfriend heard was screams as the two fell over the cliff.
Last night, Mr Ellwood said that he planned to make a similar pilgrimage to the scene each year, firstly to remember his beloved daughter and secondly to check on the progress of what he described as desperately needed safety measures.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article