Forres Scout from Kintessack praised for helping partially sighted man off flight at Inverness Airport
A caring teenager was praised by a flight crew for helping a partially sighted passenger on a flight landing in Inverness.
Adam Rhind, a 15-year-old 1st Forres Scout from Kintessack, was on his return from an international camp in Geneva, Switzerland when he volunteered to assist the pensioner find his bag on the plane then onwards into the airport.
“His name was Tom,” said Adam, “and he was from near Inverness. He had a nice, strong Scottish accent. He said he wasn’t quite blind but had really bad tunnel vision.
“I felt that if I was in his shoes I’d appreciate help and it felt like the right thing to do. We were taught at Dyke Primary School to always treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.”
Adam was part of a group of local scouts returning from a two-week camping trip at the Kandersteg International Scout Centre when he noticed the gentleman across the aisle being repeatedly aided by flight attendants.
Adam said: “At the end of the flight, they asked him if he wanted help getting off but he replied that he didn’t want to hold the other attendants up.
“When we landed and were retrieving our bags from the overhead lockers, I noticed that he was having difficulty finding his. I offered him help - at first he said no but then he accepted and I found it for him. I carried our bags as we got off the plane.
“I then stayed with him while we disembarked to offer directions. When we got to the baggage reclaim section, I ignored mine while I walked him to a hand-rail. I offered to walk him through to pick-up but he used the railing instead.”
Nelson Explorers Scout Unit lead volunteer, Tom Williams has known Adam for more than two years, since the Forres Academy pupil started moving up from 1st Forres Scout Troop to the Explorer Unit.
He said: “I was the last person to disembark from our flight from London to Inverness. The crew were complimentary of the behaviour of all the 21 young people in our group but they were very praiseful of Adam.
“The aircraft captain came out of the cockpit and said that the cabin crew had mentioned what Adam had done. He suggested we should be proud of his actions, and that Adam was not just a very kind and caring young person, but had also shown Scouting in a good light. He added that Adam was an excellent ambassador for our group!”
Tom nominated the teenager for a Scouts Commissioners Commendation Award, which he was presented with by Moray Scouts district lead volunteer, Dougie Mcphee, at the Scout Association on Bank Lane.
“I didn’t expect to get an award,” said Adam. “I was just trying to do something kind off my own back!”
Adam has enjoyed his four years as a Scout so far and is now volunteering as a helper with the Cub Scouts.
He said: “I love the fact the group does something different every week. Also, the opportunities to do things like the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, go abroad, attend camps, and pick up life skills.
“Kandersteg International Scout Centre was the best experience I’ve had in the Scouts. We did loads of fun things and met loads of people from different cultures.
“I loved walking the most - it was in the middle of the Alps so the views were spectacular.”
For more information visit https://1stforresscouts.co.uk/.
