‘Extremely talented’ schoolgirl, 13, found dead after lockdown news

An inquest into the death of Lucia Holt, 13, was held today, October 31 (Image: Reach plc)An “extremely talented” schoolgirl was found dead in her home the day after the first UK lockdown was announced, an inquest heard.Lucia May Elizabeth Holt was just 13 when she passed away at The Old Rectory in Whitchurch, Shropshire, on March 23, 2020.Lucia had experienced low-level anxiety for years, but in the final few months of her life, her anxiety increased.Often, before going to school, the Shrewsbury High School pupil would feel nauseous to the point where she started to lose weight by Christmas 2019, reports North Wales Live.Upon getting off the school bus, she would often check in with the nurse, who told an inquest held at Ruthin County Hall today, October 31, that her office was a stop gap for Lucia, where she could discuss her mood before joining up with her classmates.Lucia was also seen regularly by a child psychiatrist and a councillor and had been prescribed anti-depressants to help her cope with her anxiety.Child psychiatrist Dr Brenda Louise Atkin saw Lucia on a number of occasions and told the court via a statement that Lucia had significant anxiety that manifested in nausea and vomiting before and on arrival at school.Lucia also suffered panic attacks which she described to her psychiatrist as a “thunderstorm that you don’t know when it’s going to strike”.But in all of the meetings she had with the school nurse, the child psychiatrist and the councillor, Lucia never mentioned having any suicidal thoughts, the inquest heard.A medical cause of death of hanging was provided following an external post mortem.John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales east and central, recorded a conclusion of misadventure as Lucia carried out the act “not necessarily as a cry for help but possibly as an exploration”.The coroner added: “My heart tells me what she did was not done with the intention of bringing her life to an end”.The headteacher of the independent all-girls school that Lucia attended outlined the pastoral care processes they have in place to support pupils.Speaking as a live witness, Ms Joanne Sharrock said that Lucia, whose biggest passion was drama, “could light up a space and that would translate when she was on stage”.Ms Sharrock told the court that it is “not uncommon” for pupils to experience issues with anxiety and that every member of staff at the school receives regular training and are made aware of any child that has problems with anxiety.School nurse Susan Livesey, who also appeared as a live witness, said that social anxiety among pupils is “very common and more common since Covid”.After hearing the evidence, the coroner said: “I don’t have any doubt in this case that this is an organisation that is operating properly with huge pastoral care for its pupils”.In a written statement, Lucia’s mother described her daughter as an “extremely talented” girl who loved being on stage.She added that “the days were never long enough for Lucia to fill.”The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults. Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK.