Milton of Campsie sisters receive bravery award

Abbie and Katy Walne were on holiday last July with their parents, Michael and Claire, and their older siblings Sam (16) and Lucy (17).

The family were two days in to a ten day break at a remote villa near the village of Tavira in Portugal when the skills the girls learned at 1st Strathblane Guides were put to the test.

Katy (12) was first to notice that her dad was in trouble in the villa’s pool; alerting her family that Michael was unconscious, she dived in and held his head out of the water.

Abbie (14) also kept her head and immediately called for an ambulance; however, a language barrier meant she was unable to direct them to the location.

Level-headed Abbie rang off and called the villa admin team, who rushed to the scene and helped direct paramedics to the villa’s remote location.

In the interim, Claire jumped into the pool to help Katy get a still unconscious Michael out safely.

By the time paramedics arrived, Michael had endured a number of seizures so, while he could hear what was going on, he couldn’t see or move.

He was blue-lighted to hospital and, following a battery of tests, which included a CT scan and heart monitor, he was diagnosed with syncope due to low blood pressure and told to rest for the remainder of the holiday.

Michael (50) said: “It was very traumatic for us all – I thought I was dying and I think Claire did too – but the girls kept their heads.

“I’d been joking around with them in the pool the day before but Katy realised I wasn’t playing – that there was something seriously wrong with me.

“I’m so proud of what they did – they saved my life. It’s a difficult thing to get your head around as you don’t ever want to put them in that situation. You’re their dad and they think you’re invincible. They did amazingly well in a very tough situation.”

Luckily the family were able to enjoy the remainder of their holiday, although Michael was unable to drive.

On his return home, he underwent another battery of tests and was ordered not to drive for six months by the DVLA due to the blackout.

Michael, who works in property maintenance, was relieved when doctors here agreed with the medics in Portugal – that he had suffered a bout of syncope simply due to a late rise, heavy meal and jumping into a cold pool, all of which combined led to low blood pressure.

He added: “We all appreciate life more now and don’t worry about the small stuff. We were a close family before but we’re even closer now.”

On hearing the story, Hannah Bell, unit leader of 1st Strathblane Guides which the girls have both attended for years, decided to nominate them for a new award.

And recently 75 Girl Guides from the unit and their families gathered to see the Balfron High School pupils receive the Scottish Chief Commissioner’s Thistle Award for Outstanding Bravery – presented by Sue Kidd, assistant county commissioner for Forth Valley.

The Guides celebrated their bravery with a Be A Guide For a Night event.

Hannah said: “It was a wonderful night, which celebrated an incredible achievement for Abbie and Katy.”