An 11-year-old girl trapped between rocks for over four hours on a school trip was rescued thanks to a bottle of Fairy Liquid. Shannon Facey slipped and her leg became wedged between huge boulders at Hound Tor on Dartmoor on June 23, one of the hottest days of the year.
Rescue Efforts
Emergency services and Dartmoor Search and Rescue teams exhausted every possible option to free her, using specialist equipment for widening gaps and breaking rocks. However, it was the Devon Cave Rescue Organisation (DCRO) that arrived with a bottle of Fairy Washing Up Liquid, pouring it over her legs and the surrounding rocks to pull her out.
Mother's Account
Shannon's mother, Jessica Facey, 38, said: "It was crazy - after how many hours they tried to free her, and then it was just a bit of Fairy that came to the rescue. Shannon told me the team completely covered all her leggings, her leg and all the rocks that trapped her leg and somehow managed to slip her out." Jessica received a phone call about the accident and drove to the scene, terrified. "In my head I was just thinking, 'oh my god' - there is no way I was going to be able to fit in a cave to try and free her. It was just blind panic."
Shannon's Resilience
Three-quarters of the way into her drive, Jessica learned Shannon had been freed. Rescuers praised Shannon's bravery, noting she taught them about Ernest Shackleton while stuck. The air ambulance crew said she listened to every direction and remained upbeat. When Jessica arrived, Shannon was giggling, holding the signed bottle of Fairy Liquid. Shannon said she didn't think she would get out but stayed calm. She declined to go home, choosing to stay on the school trip for four more days. The day after, she was scrambling down waterfalls.
