THE friends of a ‘thoughtful, kind, compassionate’ young man told an inquest about their frantic efforts to revive him following his death at an Arnside beach party.

Tom Hardy, ‘wandered off’ from the rest of his friends at a remote cove at Blackstone Point in the early hours of August 31.

The inquest heard that the gathering was a leaving party for the 22-year-old and three other friends, who were due to travel to Cambodia several weeks later.

Tom’s body was found on the beach by Sam Duckles, who raised the alarm and went to search for him after realising he had been gone for around half an hour.

“I wasn’t concerned straight away because it wasn’t unusual for Tom to go wandering but we started to get concerned because we were in the middle of nowhere,” said Sam.

He found Tom ‘upside down’ next to some boulders on the rocky beach, several metres away from where the group was camped.

After moving Tom into a comfortable position another friend, Jade Hodgkis, performed CPR on him.

“I checked for a response but there was no sign of breathing and at that point I knew that there was no bringing him back,” she said.

The inquest at Kendal’s County Hall heard that one of Tom’s shoes was found under a large stone.
Detective Inspector Furzana Nazir said: “We believe that Tom’s foot accidentally got caught under a boulder.

“Following that he slipped or tripped as he was trying to un-wedge his shoe, and suffered a head injury.”

Alan Sharp, assistant coroner for south and east Cumbria, said Tom had landed in a position which restricted his ability to breathe, and was unable to move after being knocked unconscious.

“It was asphyxia that caused his death, rather than the head injury – I don’t think it would have been fatal if he had been able to breathe.”

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Sharp told Tom’s family: “A wonderful young man with his future ahead of him has died in such tragic circumstances – no words can express what you must be going through.

“This is difficult to say but one will never know what really happened that night, however the conclusion DI Nazir has come to is the best conclusion we can arrive at.”

Tom’s dad, Neil, told the inquest that his son had returned from a family trip to London on the day of the party.

“At home he said he was very tired and could do with early night, but the camp-out had been arranged and he didn’t want to let anyone down or miss a chance to say his goodbyes."

Mr Hardy paid tribute to his son, saying, “He was a thoughtful, compassionate, kind person who always had a smile on his face."

He said Lancaster-born Tom, a former pupil at Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale, was interested in going into a career in forestry and conservation, but wanted to go travelling for six months first.

“He had plans to teach football in a Cambodian orphanage and was going to take some of his football shirts for the children.”

Since Tom’s death, Blackburn Rovers, whom he supported, have donated football shirts to the orphanage in his memory.

Tom Hardy’s family have paid tribute to an ‘amazing and inspirational young man’, saying: “We are totally devastated that Tom has been taken from us.

“Tom was an incredibly positive, kind and caring young man who brought so much happiness and love to all those he knew and met.

“He was a very much loved son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin to his family. Tom was also very much loved by his girlfriend and family and his many true friends.

“Tom had a great love of life and his humour and bright outlook on life always lifted people around him. His enthusiasm and sense of fun was infectious and he lived every day true to his own caring values.

“Tom really enjoyed football, travelling, skiing, snowboarding, music, reading, food and enjoying spending time with his family and many friends.

“Tom had worked tirelessly for the last two years, saving to travel with close friends and teach overseas, a trip he was to undertake very soon. Sadly Tom was not able to enjoy all he had worked towards and deserved so richly.

“We are immensely proud of Tom and we cherish the memories we have of him. He will forever be remembered, so very much loved and missed for the rest of our lives.”