Cumbria Police are investigating after a 17-year-old girl died at Kendal Calling in the early hours of the morning. The teenager dies in Kendal after being called after a medical episode at about 02:15 BST.
Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene, and they asked people not to speculate about the circumstances. Her family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers.
Cumbria Police at Kendal Calling
Officers want to speak to anyone who was in the area of the Calling Out tent and the Big Wheel around the time of her death. They are particularly keen to speak with a group of women who alerted first responders after becoming concerned for her welfare.
"Officers are particularly keen to speak with a group of women who alerted first responders to the girl after becoming concerned for her welfare." Cumbria Police said. It also said, "We would ask that the investigation be allowed to take its course."
Kendal Calling in Lowther Deer Park
Kendal Calling takes place at Lowther Deer Park, near Penrith, and this year it is in its 21st year. The festival said it grew from a capacity of 900 people to about 40,000 attending last year, with live acts across 13 stages.
A Kendal Calling spokesperson said the festival team was supporting authorities with the investigation. The spokesperson said, "As soon as the individual became unwell, they were immediately attended to by our on-site security and medical teams."
The spokesperson also said, "Paramedics and medical personnel provided emergency care at the scene and did everything they could to help." The festival described the teenager as "deeply saddened" over her death.
Questions for witnesses
The practical next step is for witnesses to come forward, especially anyone near the Calling Out tent and the Big Wheel at about 02:15 BST. Police are trying to piece together the sequence of events around the medical episode, the response, and the death at the scene.
