Earlier this year Tomos Hebden, a volunteer with Hawarden Scouts, was honoured for helping a woman who had fallen in the sea. His actions were recognised by Chief Scout and TV adventurer Dwayne Fields at a special awards ceremony.
Presenting the ‘Unsung Heroes Award’ to winners who represent the best in their community for acts of outstanding bravery and selflessness, the Chief Scout was moved by the inspiring personal stories of the winners. 20 young Scouts were selected from over 100 nominations – out of 475,000 Scouts in the UK.
Last year, whilst on holiday with his family, Tomos, who is a member of the Explorer Scouts team in Hawarden, was approached by a panicked woman asking for help as her friend had fallen in the sea.
Also a community first responder, Tomos sprang into action and asked his dad to call 999 while he searched for the missing lady. He gave the What 3 Words location of where they were which aided the RNLI in finding them.
Tomos said, “When the RNLI arrived they signalled that they could see the lady, but couldn’t get to her as the sea was too rough, so I safely climbed down to check if she was OK and helped her back up”
“I checked her over using the first aid training that I received as a Scout and a community first responder, and when the RNLI first aider arrived I was able to use his equipment to check her medical health more thoroughly such as heart rate and pupil response, and some passers by gave her some of their clothing to help keep her warm”
Once Tomos and the RNLI had checked her over, the lady was then taken back to the RNLI base by a critical care paramedic, and Tomos met them there to check on her one last time before leaving.
Tomos said “Scouts gave me First Aid training which helped massively with the knowledge needed to help the lady, but Scouts also gave me the confidence to communicate with the multitude of personnel involved with the rescue, and the ability to remain calm and focused. Without Scouts I wouldn’t have had the skills to be able to help save her and it would’ve been a lot longer before help would’ve made to her.”
The ‘Unsung Heroes Award’ is a coveted personal achievement which recognises the amazing skills and endeavours of young people across the Scouts community. Ranging in age from 5 to 20, the winners were nominated by Scout volunteers for their outstanding bravery and leadership in the community, showing skills and qualities which are learned by being part of the Scouts and subsequently taken through life.
Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields said “Huge congratulations to the winners of this remarkable award for acts of courage and selflessness in the community.
“Being part of the Scouts provides young people with skills they take with them through life, and the stories of these young people represent the highest form of Scouts values. I want to thank you for your dedication and celebrate what is a truly outstanding achievement!”
