A PAIR of Scouts have earned high praise for coming to the aid of a seriously hurt cyclist in Hamsterley Forest earlier this month.
William Hart, 13, and William Clerk, 14, were cycling in the forest during a day off school because of a teacher strike when they came across the injured mountain biker.
He had come off his bicycle on a berm, near the Descend Bike Park, causing injuries to his face and pelvic region.
The teenagers, who attend Butterknowle Sea Scouts, said a manager at the park had already called for an ambulance, and they used the skills they had learned through Scouts to keep the man calm and prevent him from passing out.
William Hart, who attends Teesdale School, said: “We saw this person who had had a bad crash.
“We went and helped take care of him until the ambulance came.
“He had split his thigh open and he had an open wound on his chin and various cuts all over his face.
“He wasn’t fully conscious, he was confused.”
William Clerk, who is a pupil at Staindrop Academy, added: “We went and got his phone from his car for him because he needed to call his partner.
“At one point he said he was going to throw up so we went and got a bucket for him.
“Then the person who runs Descend came over to put a bandage over his leg where he had badly cut it, so he had to sit up and he said he was going to pass out so we were there just holding him.
“Then the ambulance came and we hung around in case the paramedics needed to ask us anything.”
The teenagers said they waited about half-an-hour at the man’s side as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Both attributed their calm reserve during the ordeal to the activities they take part in with Butterknowle Sea Scouts.
William C, left the Scouts last week after turning 14, is considering joining Barney’s pack as an Explorer. He said: “I [would recommend Scouts] to anybody. It is one of the best things I have done. You learn outdoor skills, real life skills, you get outside in nature – it is amazing.”
Butterknowle Sea Scout leader Jenny Hodgson said she was immensely proud of the boys. “When they came to Scouts and told me about what they had done that day I was very impressed by the calmness and courage they had shown and how they upheld their Scouting values.
“In Scouting we aim to encourage young people to have fun and adventure in a safe way but we also try to prepare them in how to deal with things if something goes wrong or if they come across a problem. We are glad they were able to help someone in need.
“So often people only hear of young people getting into trouble or doing wrong, but from our experience there are so many young people out there doing good things and for me this is a really good example of what fantastic young people we have in our area. Well done boys, everyone at 1st Butterknowle Sea Scouts is really proud of you.”
