Pond death 'tragic accident'

Matthew was "loved very much", his parents said

The death of a toddler who fell into a pond at a north Wales holiday park was a tragic accident, police have said.

Matthew Marsden, from Buckley, near Mold, had wandered from his parents on Saturday at Greenacres Caravan Park, near Porthmadog.

Minutes later he was found floating in the pond. Staff tried to resuscitate him before he was air-lifted to Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, where he died.

His parents issued a statement on Sunday, saying :"Matthew was a happy and healthy child. He was loved very much and will be missed very much by everyone who knew him."

North Wales Police's Chief Superintendent Gareth Prichard said: "Clearly at the moment our thoughts are with the parents at their tragic loss."

The boy's grandfather said the family was "devastated" by the accident.

"This is really hard for his parents - he was only two," said the grandfather, who asked not to be named.

Matthew had been staying at the holiday park near Black Rock Sands with his parents, Phil and Tracey, and one-year-old brother Alex.

Mr Marsden, an IT manager, and his wife, who works at a bank call centre, are being comforted by relatives at their home.

Matthew was found floating in the pond

A spokesman for Greenacres Holiday Park said: "Everyone - staff and guests - is devastated by this tragic accident. Our hearts and prayers are with the family.

"As soon as we were told a little boy had wandered off, we alerted all our staff. Within minutes the boy was spotted floating in the duck pond."

Staff contacted the emergency services while a member of the resort team began trying to resuscitate the boy, helped by a holidaymaker who was a trained fireman.

A local ambulance team arrived shortly afterwards and decided to call in the air ambulance, which flew the boy 30 minutes to hospital in Bangor.

Neighbours back home in Buckley have been shocked at the death of the toddler.

"He had a little set of goalposts in the back garden and was always outside playing," said Matthew Evans, 31. "He was a lovely little boy.

"The family have a caravan and are always off caravanning around the country and they take the children with them. It is a terrible tragedy."

North Wales Police said the coroner had been informed.