AN inquest heard of the “incredible” efforts to save a grandmother’s life after she fell 30 feet from a cliff top path near Arnside.

Retired theatre nurse Valerie Jane Bates, 77, was on the coastal route to Silverdale with her husband, George, and fellow walking group members when she “stumbled or lost her balance” and landed on rocks below.

Mr Bates, an 85-year-old retired paper merchant, told the inquest in a statement that he “tried to grab” his wife but “couldn’t manage it”. The classic car enthusiast and his wife, an experienced walker, had been married 20 years. They lived at Heswall, on the Wirral, and had four grown-up children between them.

On Sunday, March 18 this year they were among a walking party following the easiest of three routes from Arnside to Silverdale, after tea and cakes at a café.

Fifteen minutes into the ramble, Mrs Bates tripped or lost her balance and fell while they were in single file on a stretch of path described as narrow, rocky and uneven with tree roots.

Simon Bates said his stepmother’s mobility and balance were “probably not as good” in the last six months, after an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in 2015. However, she was still pretty independent and he “didn’t have any concerns” about her doing the walk.

First to reach the unconscious Mrs Bates was Adam Capeling, out walking with his wife and daughter. He pulled the 77-year-old from the water and gave CPR when she twice stopped breathing.

As emergency services arrived at the beach, including police, two air ambulance crews, coastguards and the RNLI, Mr Capeling was part of a concerted effort to save the Wirral grandmother’s life.

North West Air Ambulance paramedic Andrew Duncan stated that bystanders “rotated” CPR duties so they did not tire. The Great North Air Ambulance was also summoned for its on-board doctor. Dr Philip O’Donnell found Mrs Bates in cardiac arrest with a collapsed left lung, broken legs and arm. She was “unresponsive” while he operated to re-inflate her lung, and she died en route to Royal Preston Hospital.

Robert Chapman, assistant coroner for Cumbria, said Mrs Bates had suffered multiple injuries, including a broken spine. He recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Mr Bates’ son, Simon, told the Kendal hearing he wanted to thank the passers-by and emergency services “who did everything they could to save Valerie’s life”, adding: “The amount of effort everybody went to was incredible.”