A GROUP of army cadets from Barnard Castle have been hailed as “heroes” within their community after they helped potentially save the life of an elderly man in distress.
Heather Brown, Esme Gembler, Angel Bloomfield and Eve Proud, who are all part of the local combined cadet force, were walking into Barnard Castle town centre on the way back from school earlier this month when they heard someone calling for help.
Not realising who was in trouble, the cadets turned to find a pensioner who had fallen over behind a stone wall near his house and was starting to freeze in the cold conditions.
Read more: Three cadets get role alongside Durham's Lord Lieutenant
After crossing the dark road to lend their assistance, the quick-thinking cadets sprang into action and formulated a plan.
They sent two of the group back to school to get help, while the other two stayed behind to look after the man and keep him warm by offering their jackets and checking that he had no obvious injuries before helping him to stand.
By this time, the two other girls, who had run back to school for help, appeared with the school nurse, who checked the pensioner over before giving him the all-clear.
It turned out that the man had been on the ground for 30 minutes in freezing conditions before the girls came to the rescue.
The four cadets all helped him to walk the 20 metres back to his house and insisted that they help him into his house.
Now that the pensioner is recovering at home, Angel, Heather, Esme and Eve have all been awarded the National Praiseworthy Action Certificate for their efforts and have also earned the praise of their community.
Read more: Barnard Castle School remembered fallen students on Armistice Day
Barnard Castle School, which all four girls attend, said that they were “extremely proud” of the bravery shown by all of the cadets, with a spokesperson for the school saying: “We are ever so proud of a group of our cadets, who recently showed compassion and quick thinking to assist an elderly gentleman who had fallen over.
“The cadets in question have all passed their basic first aid care and, during lockdown, they all completed an eight-week online St John’s Ambulance first aid course.
“The four girls have said that they were extremely proud of being able to help the man and believe that their combined cadet force training allowed them to assist in a very calm and confident manner.”
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel