Great Orme fall OAP died doing what he loved

Mar 18 2010 by Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

A KEEN walker died from multiple injuries after he fell 20ft down a cliff on the Great Orme.

Tributes were paid to pensioner Ronald Thomas, 81, known locally as Lou, who was found after a major 24-hour rescue operation.

An inquest in Llandudno on Friday heard how Mr Thomas, of Howard Road, Llandudno, died enjoying doing what he loved – walking.

Coroner John Hughes said there was not enough evidence to tell if he’d slipped or fallen while out walking on the Orme.

Recording an open verdict Mr Hughes said there were no eye witnesses and no evidence to suggest Mr Thomas, who was a capable walker and well orientated with the local area, was suicidal.

Pathologist Dr Anthony Caslin said Mr Thomas died of multiple injuries due to a fall from a height.

The pensioner went missing on the evening of Monday, November 16, sparking a nine hour hunt by specialist search dogs, the coastguard, RNLI and RAF Valley’s rescue helicopter.

His body was found at midday on Tuesday 17, on rocks between the Pigeons Cave and the lighthouse, close to the Rest and Be Thankful cafe on the town’s Great Orme. He was recovered by members of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team.

Paying tribute, Mr Hughes told his daughter Carol Adams 53, at the inquest that it was clear her father, who’d survived heart surgery several years ago, was a loving family man. He said: “Your father was clearly a very devoted family man to you, your husband Karl and his grandsons Ben and Russell. Although he was ravaged by illness which left him impaired, he was and always had been a walker, quite capable of orientating himself round the local area.

“What else is clear is that Mr Thomas died enjoying what he loved, walking, and his death was quick and clean.”

Ms Adams of Ffordd Penrhyn, Llandudno also paid tribute.

“My father was always brilliant in a crisis, always calm and had a very positive outlook on life.

“Despite losing my mother in 2001 and surviving a quadruple heart by-pass operation he put his joinery skills to good use helping renovate our home and was up cycling round the Orme just two months after his operation.

“He enjoyed both walking and collecting wood, we can only guess he was doing that when he fell.”

Before his death Mr Thomas worked at Asda superstore in Llandudno as a car park cleaner. His manager Simon James said he was a loveable, pleasant character. He added: “Lou was always chatting to customers and staff and will be greatly missed.”

samantha.castle