Heroic boy helped mum after 330ft fall

The brave actions of a 10-year-old boy who scrambled down a steep ravine to reach his injured mother after she plunged 330 feet at an iconic Highland mountain were praised yesterday.

Andy Ravenhill, the Oban Mountain Rescue team leader, said the boy deserved a medal for his actions on 3,694ft-high Ben Cruachan in Argyll.

The family were on holiday from London when crisis hit on Monday night.

Emergency services were alerted just before 8pm after the mother fell down the ravine and suffered injuries to her head, back and leg.

Her son managed to get to her and use her phone to call emergency services, all the while keeping her calm and conscious.

She is now described as being in a “comfortable” condition in hospital in Glasgow.

Mr Ravenhill said: “This is a brave lad who should get an award for his actions.

“Just getting to his mum was hard – then looking after his mother in an extreme situation, talking to the police and keeping calm, he was amazing.”

The mother, father and three young children aged five, nine and 10 had walked up Ben Cruachan on a very pleasant day. But on the way down they took a wrong turn and ended up on some very steep ground.

Mr Ravenhill said: “While we were mobilising he managed to talk to the police giving a location description. A local police unit was dispatched to try and locate them. It was dark by this point and luckily the family were well prepared and had a torch.

“Meanwhile the lad was talking to his mum, reassuring her.”

EMERGENCY: The family had been enjoying a walk up Ben Cruachan but had got into difficulty after taking a wrong turn on the way down