A North Yorkshire couple want to thank the passing "angels of the North" who stepped in when their 48th wedding anniversary almost took a tragic turn on a Northumberland beach
Murray and Jill Leslie were holidaying at Embleton on the beautiful Northumberland coast. On a walk along the beach in the shadow of Cramlington with their dog, Murray, 78, collapsed. He was unconscious for a few minutes.
Jill quickly got her husband into the recovery position, but said that it was only thanks to speedy help from passers-by on the beach, then the work of the coastguard, ambulance service and support from staff at the Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel and the nearby golf course, helped get Murray safely to hospital in Cramlington.
Murray has a heart murmur, thought to be the cause of the issue. He said: "I'm absolutely fine now, as I had been moments beforehand. But we were so extremely grateful to the people at the coastguard, and to the people from the Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club.
"I have a little heart murmur, but I've had that for a long while. It all happened on our 48th wedding anniversary - I really know how to treat a woman!"
Jill added the day had been been incredibly stressful. She said: "It was exceptionally scary, but all's well that ends well. I was overwhelmed by everyone's kindness, not least everyone who was just walking along the beach. Those who helped out were absolutely brilliant."
She also shared a message for those who helped them - highlighting that it was April 5. She said: "Up until that moment, we were enjoying a short sea-side break for our 48th wedding anniversary, walking our Golden Retriever. After managing to roll him over into the recovery position, I tried to raise the emergency services on my ‘phone but the screen was wet and non-responsive.
"There was no one else in sight. Suddenly, a small crowd of holiday-makers appeared in the distance. I waved madly and the couple in the lead started to run towards us. Emergency services were alerted and suddenly, more people arrived, adding their coats to keep my husband warm and eventually managing to move him onto drier sand.
"Another took control of our dog. After about 20 minutes, the ambulance was parked at the Golf Club and staff from there drove one of their buggies down to the beach. My new friends all pulled together, managing to lift my husband into the buggy to transport him over the sand and the dunes and finally, into the safety and warmth of the waiting ambulance. I cannot thank these kind people enough. If you are reading this and were one of these, I owe you a real debt of gratitude."
Jill said the kindness did not stop there - with a member of the Howick coastguard team offering to look after the family dog, and helped her get back to the Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel later that day. She also highlighted how the golf club "dispensed welcome warm cuppas" and hotel staff were "attentive, warm-hearted and more than helpful", even offering to take Jill back to Cramlington to collect Murray on his discharge from hospital the following day.
She added: "The kindness of all was overwhelming and heart-warming, making the whole episode so much more tolerable. I now know that there isn’t just one 'Angel of the North': there are dozens of them and they turn up in hosts when needed."
Howick Coastguard team also reflected on the incident. The coastguard said: "The team were tasked to a report of a casualty collapsed on the beach near Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club.
The team, along with North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, responded and were directed to the location by staff from the golf club. Due to the cold weather and incoming tide the golf club kindly offered the use of their 4x4 quad to help us evacuate the casualty from the beach back to the ambulance.
"A casualty assessment was carried out by Coastguard Rescue Officers and, on arrival at the club house, the casualty was handed into the care of the ambulance crew for further assessment, treatment and transportation to hospital. This incident highlighted the close working relationship we have with the ambulance service to achieve the best outcome for the casualty.
"We would also like to pass on our sincere thanks to the staff at Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Course for the invaluable assistance in helping evacuate the casualty, saving a long stretcher carry out, and also the much appreciated hot drinks at the end."
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