What a night! Two prestigious awards for Stornoway Search and Rescue team and surprise honour for 'Nam'

What a night! Two prestigious awards for Stornoway Search and Rescue team and surprise honour for 'Nam'

October 1 was a day to remember for UK Search and Rescue (SAR) as a crew based in Stornoway, Scotland, scooped two highly prestigious awards at the same time - at different ends of the UK!

The coveted awards - a Crew Commendation from the Shipwrecked Mariner's Society and a Brave@Heart award from the Scottish Government - recognised the team's professionalism and fortitude in responding to a complex and difficult rescue, which saw them save the lives of two severely injured fishermen.

And there was a huge surprise for one of the team when the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney MSP, announced Bristow Winch Paramedic Norman 'Nam' MacLeod as winner of the St Andrew's Award for his role in the rescue.

The St Andrew's Award is reserved only for exceptional acts of bravery.

UK SAR Director Graham Hamilton who represented the crew at the Brave@Heart event said: "The awards were presented on 1 October at separate ceremonies in London and Edinburgh. While the Stornoway crew were receiving the award in London, I was honoured to represent them, and Bristow, at the Brave@Heart event in Edinburgh."

"The awards were presented for a uniquely challenging situation. But the crew's response proved once again that our people are among the best in the world at SAR. They did precisely what they train for and two lives were saved.

"It's great to see the whole team recognised, and I am particularly honoured to have collected the St Andrews Award on behalf of Nam. It's a true testament to his commitment. His efforts that night went above and beyond."

In the early hours of 29 November, 2023, the Stornoway SAR team were tasked to reports of injured sailors on a Spanish vessel 100 miles offshore.

When they arrived at the scene the first big challenge was getting the Winch Paramedic, Norman 'Nam' Macleod, on board the ship, as it pitched dramatically in heavy seas.

Once safely on the vessel, Nam was faced with a desperate situation. Two men were seriously injured after an accident with the ship's winching gear, both were clearly at risk of death, and not a single person onboard was able to speak English.

"When I touched down on that deck I can honestly say I encountered the 'startle phenomenon'" said Macleod. "I've been a paramedic for almost 30 years and this was the most challenging scene I've ever had to deal with. For the first few seconds it was hard to take everything in and understand what I needed to do first.

"Thankfully it didn't last. My training and experience kicked in and I got to work. I spent an hour on the boat and it was the quickest hour of my life!"

Macleod set to work, stabilising both casualties and then, with the rest of the team, winching them to the aircraft and speeding them to hospital - while continuing to provide critical care for them both.

Hamilton said: "SAR is a team game. On this occasion things could have ended up very badly for both the injured men. But between Nam on the deck, the crew in the air, the team at the hospital and everyone else behind the scenes, from the hangar to the offices, they got the best possible result. The two suffered life-changing injuries, but their lives were undoubtedly saved.

"This was an exceptional event, with an exceptional response, and everyone who contributed to the tasking should feel enormously proud of their effort."

Read more about the Brave@Heart awards here and learn more about the Shipwrecked Mariners Society here.

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