A seven-year-old girl was left abandoned and crying at a bustling beach after a council-funded holiday club allegedly moved on without her, prompting a frantic 999 call.
Georgia Watson was left alone for 30 minutes in the busy North Shields Fish Quay area after she went to the toilet and returned to find her group had vanished. The youngster was eventually discovered by three 'kind women' who found her sobbing and were forced to call the police when they could not reach the club's organisers.
Her mother, Rachel Watson, 36, says she has been left 'physically sick' by the ordeal and is now demanding accountability from the provider Claire's Family Fitness. Rachel, from Wallsend, had trusted the holiday club to keep her daughter safe, but says the experience turned into a living nightmare.
Mother's Worst Nightmare
'The fact my daughter was alone by herself scares me. Anything could have happened,' Rachel told the Mirror. 'Anyone could have found her. I felt physically sick from it all. I am just so grateful three kind women found her.'
Georgia had been attending the club as part of a routine day out on April 9. It is understood that while the group of around 15 children, both boys and girls were at the beach, Georgia went to the bathroom - but when she came out, the four staff members, two male and two female, and other children were nowhere to be seen.
Lack of Supervision
Rachel added: 'They obviously weren't [looking] otherwise they would have found her in the toilets. I think they assumed she was with the group and left.'
Rachel claims Claire, who has since left the company, apologised over the phone. The incident has had a profound impact on the seven-year-old, who has reportedly become fearful of being left alone.
'She does not want to go back to the beach, she was even scared to go to school - and she loves school,' Rachel said. 'I just want someone to own up and take responsibility for it.'
The mother has now escalated the matter to her MP in a search for answers. North Tyneside Council confirmed they were made aware of the incident.
Council Response
Haley Hudson, Interim Director of Corporate Strategy and Customer Service, said: 'North Tyneside Council was made aware on 9 April of an incident involving a child during a commissioned Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) session delivered by an external provider.
'All HAF providers commissioned by us undergo strict quality assurance and safeguarding checks, including regular training. As soon as we were informed, the incident was logged, our internal safeguarding and reporting procedures were followed and our customer team made contact with the family.
'We are confident that the required safeguarding and quality assurance processes were followed in relation to the commissioning of this service, but we do not underestimate the impact this incident has had on the family.'
The Mirror has reached out to Claire's Family Fitness for comment.
