Oban man given Pride of Britain nominations for rescue attempts

Mikey McManus said being nominated for the top award was ‘hugely humbling’ but a ‘lovely gesture’.

DOZENS of people have been nominating Oban resident Mikey McManus for a Pride of Britain award for his part in the search for a dog which was abandoned near Glen Creran during blizzard conditions.

Mikey led a search party for the 12-year-old border collie named Meg who had been left on Beinn Sgulaird after losing the use of her back legs during severe weather conditions.

Unfortunately, Meg did not survive the ordeal and her body was discovered on Friday January 19.

Commenting on the nomination, Mikey said: ‘To be nominated for the Pride of Britain award is a lovely gesture and hugely humbling, especially in a scenario where I would have expected anyone to do the same thing.

‘I only went out looking for the dog because I was a local to the search area and I’m a commercial drone pilot and figured there would be more than just me, so I could add my skill set to the effort and find her quicker.

‘I was intrigued by the circumstances and that the owners were ex-military, so, as a veteran myself, I wanted to know how the situation could have ever happened, but I understand the hill and mountains are treacherous and can change, through weather, almost instantly.

‘But as I was on the ground first, it gained momentum very quickly over five days and I became a sort of ground leader for the search, updating the online effort at any opportunity I had.

‘The massive public support and their drive to say thank you is very over-whelming, but lovely just the same, and from all over the world too, Canada, USA, Mexico and various parts of Europe. The world is full of dog lovers.

‘Just to be nominated is a wonderful thing. Should it go any further, I will wait and see but I am sure there are far more deserving recipients out there. But it is out of my hands.’

If you would also like to nominate Mikey, you can do so via www.prideofbritain.com/ nominate