Father’s tribute to his ‘little princess' (From York Press)

Father of Lydia Bishop pays tribute to his ‘little princess'

9:38am Thursday 20th September 2012 in News

Lydia Bishop

THE father of a little girl who died after becoming entangled in play equipment on her first day at a York nursery has paid a poignant tribute to his “little princess”.

Lydia Bishop is thought to have used a metal slide at York College ’s nursery playground and then become stuck on the ropes that were part of another piece of equipment.

Since the tragic accident on Monday – which has led to the temporary closure of the nursery – more than 3,000 people have joined a Facebook page dedicated to the memory of the little girl and it has been inundated with emotional tributes.

Among those was father Brad Bishop, a self-employed joiner, who wrote a tribute on behalf of himself and Lydia’s mother, Rebecca Dick, saying: “Sweet dreams our little princess we love you so much and will never stop. Sleep tight our little angel, we are always here for you. Mummy and daddy.”

Mr Bishop, who is in his early 20s, also thanked all those who had offered “kind messages of support and love”.

Messages of sorrow and condolence began appearing on the site within hours of Lydia’s death being announced.

Megan Jameson Horsewood wrote: “Sleep tight darling you’re with the angels now. You should never have been taken. Heart goes out to the family”, while Jody Tudor wrote: “Rest in peace darling, your beautiful smile is in a lot of peoples’ hearts. Xxx”

Another, Claire Waudby, said: “RIP beautiful girl. Have fun playing with the other angels. Thoughts are with your family and friends xxx”, while Amy Jane Louise said: “RIP Lydia. I will never ever forget the one time I met you. You were such a happy, playful, cheeky, beautiful little girl. I cannot believe you were taken away so soon at such a young age. I hope you are happily playing up there with all of the other little angels. You are a beautiful little angel now, sleep tight.”

Emma Kay May said: “Sweet dreams sweetheart, there is one more star in the sky and yours is the brightest.”

The messages can be viewed on the Facebook page “RIP Lydia Bishop”.

Det Chief Insp Nigel Costello, leading inquiries, said a full investigation was now under way at the nursery to establish how the accident happened and if it could have been prevented. He said: “We need to determine how this happened and weather it could have been prevented or foreseen.

“We have taken possession of the rope that was on the slide, which Lydia became tangled in, and we need to determine whether the rope is on the slide as manufactured or whether it was added subsequently.”

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding Lydia’s death is currently under way, involving the police, City of York Safeguarding Children Board (CYSCB), Ofsted and the Health & Safety Executive.