An 11-year-old Crewe girl "terrified" of water accidentally drowned in a shallow hotel pool on her first family holiday abroad, an inquest from Cheshire Coroner's Court heard.

On August 7, 2025, Francesca Blease was pulled unresponsive from the children's pool at the Club Jandia Princess Hotel in Fuerteventura after a guest noticed her floating face down.

Francesca had been playing with other children for less than 10 minutes, with two holidaymakers performing CPR before paramedics arrived.

The Crewe girl was airlifted to hospital in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, but died the following day after suffering severe brain hypoxia.

Senior coroner for Cheshire, Jacqueline Devonish, said there was no foreseeable risk for a child in a "very, very shallow pool" with a depth of 10cm to 60cm.

"There was no reason for her family to believe that she could have come to harm in the circumstances," she said.

Francesca's mother, Joanne Blease, described her daughter as a "smiley, happy, healthy baby, which is also the child she grew into".

"She had lots of friends and was very well liked by her teachers. She was never without a smile on her face," Joanne added.

Due to Francesca's fear of water she did not want to play in the adult pool, so she went to the children's pool.

Her mother had gone to reception, while her grandmother was sitting on a sunlounger with Francesca's younger sister, facing away from the pool.

"A part of me died," Blease said. "I feel her absence always like a constant missing piece.

"Francesca would light up any room she was in. She never had down days and could see happiness in everything."

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