AN eight-year-old girl, who seemed fit and well, collapsed and died from sudden heart failure as she raced against the clock, to scale a 20 feet high tree on a school adventure holiday in Hindhead.

Charlotte Wright climbed the tree at speed at the PGL Centre at Marchants Hill, while her classmates shouted down the seconds on an activity called The Trapeze, an inquest heard. But when she reached the top she suddenly flopped off and was suspended in the air in a safety harness.

Charlotte was lowered down to the ground but wasn't breathing and her lips had turned blue. Staff from the PGL Centre desperately battled to revive her.

The coroner was told that Charlotte was in a group of youngsters aged between eight and nine from the Half Way Houses Primary School on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, who were on holiday in May last year.

She was one of 64 pupils and eight teachers from the school. It was the sixth time the school had visited Marchants Hill and it had become an annual treat for the top year of the first school.

They were involved in a range of activities including archery, abseiling, and quad biking, which are called "challenge by choice" where youngsters were allowed to do as much as they felt comfortable with.

Charlotte was in a group of 10 who were using the trapeze when tragedy struck. The children were fitted with helmets and body harnesses, and had to climb up a ladder and then up the rest of the tree to a platform where they then had to leap through the air to try to reach the suspended trapeze.

Teacher Lisa Noble said that Charlotte had complained of being cold after she was lowered down but didn't think that it was the activity itself that had unsettled her.

She said: "On Charlotte's second go, the children were trying to see who could go the quickest. She went as quick as she could up the tree to beat the score. She got up past the ladder and was on the block at the top and just came down.

"She didn't say anything or cry out. She lay flat in the air, usually the person will stay in an upright position.

"We all tried to encourage her to get up because we didn't realise anything was wrong."

Fellow teacher Helen Springett said that Charlotte seemed keen and determined to get to the top and started off quite quickly before she just fell off.

She said: "We were shouting 'Charlotte are you OK' and then it dawned on us that something was wrong."

One of the instructors at PGL, Simon Ranson, told the inquest that a number of the youngsters had already gone up for the second time when it came to Charlotte's turn.

"I called her up and checked her harness and remember saying to her: 'You are going to beat the time aren't you, Charlotte?' And she said 'yeah'. She seemed really keen."

He said that when they brought her down she wasn't breathing and he could only find a very faint pulse and he called for help.

The inquest heard that an ambulance was called and Charlotte was rushed to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford but at no time showed any vital signs. The coroner was told that Charlotte was a fit and lively young girl who had no history of problems.

Forensic pathologist Dr Besna Djurovic said that the cause of death was acute cardiac failure but she had found no abnormalities in her heart. She said that it was most likely caused by emotional or physical stress, but couldn't say whether that had been brought on by her involvement in the activity. In her 20 years' experience, she had only ever come across two or three other cases where young children had died in similar circumstances which couldn't really be explained.

Coroner Michael Burgess recorded a verdict of death by natural causes after saying there was no evidence to suggest that her involvement in the activity caused the sudden cardiac arrest.

He said: "The death of any child is tragic and when it is someone who only moments before was full of life, it is doubly so.

"I am satisfied there was no external pressure to engage in the activities, although it might have been suggested that there was some peer pressure.

"But it has also been suggested that peer pressure took the form of encouragement.

"On no account have I heard any evidence that Charlotte wasn't anything other than an eager and willing participant. I am not persuaded that there was any undue stress placed upon her."

But Charlotte's mum, Karen Williams, who is a veterinary nurse, said: "If I would have known what Charlotte was walking into I would never have left her go.

"What I've seen at the PGL Centre appalled and disgusted me.

"When Charlotte came down the first time she told a teacher she felt cold and there is absolutely no way on earth she should have been allowed to go back up that thing.

"My life was decimated on May 5 and I was appalled when I went into the site and saw the activities they were asking children as young as six to do. Charlotte came off that thing after she was encouraged to do it as quick as possible.If I had been there I wouldn't have let her go up. I would have made her sit it out and she would still be here today.

"I am horrified and I don't want any other parent to go through what I have. It sickens me," said Mrs Williams.

The director of corporate affairs for PGL Travel, Martin Hudson said: "We believe that the circumstances surrounding Charlotte's untimely death have been fully investigated in the Coroner's hearing and feel that it would be inappropriate for us to make any further comments. Our thoughts are with Charlotte's family, her teachers and school friends at this difficult time".