Midlothian local heroes to feature in BBC’s ‘Scotland’s People’

Bill Hall from Bonnyrigg (third from left) is pictured on stage with Jackie Bird and his fellow veterans.

The festive special is returning to shine a heart-warming spotlight on amazing individuals who have gone that extra mile to selflessly help others within their communities.

Jackie Bird and the team have poured through rafts of deserving nominees who have often been put forward by friends, family and members of their local community, as well as recommendations from charities across the country.

They will be recognising the achievement of a special selection of people and giving them a special surprise, often involving big names and emotional tributes from the local community, with the programme broadcast at 8pm.

Samantha Gough from Lasswade was recognised for her sporting achievements and her volunteer work.

The flagship story for Scotland’s People this year is honouring Korean veterans for their service and dedication on the year that marks 70 years since fighting in the Korean War came to an end. From 1950 – 1953, ‘The Forgotten War’ was overshadowed by the end of the Second World War and the subsequent Cold War, and yet the sacrifice of the allied Armed Forces was extremely high, and its legacy still has a global impact.

As part of The Angus, Perthshire and Fife Festival of Remembrance at Dundee’s Caird Hall in November, Jackie appeared on stage as a surprise guest and invited the audience to show their appreciation for the Korean Veterans, with a standing ovation for six veterans who were in attendance followed by a specially arranged version of the hymn ‘Only Remembered’ sung acappella by Caledon, consisting of award-winning Celtic folk singer Robyn Stapleton with Hannah Rarity, Neil Sutcliffe and Cameron Nixon.

The group of veterans included 92-year-old Bill Hall from Bonnyrigg, who served with the Black Watch, who all spoke for their fellow veterans reflecting on their time in Korea and their memories of the conflict.

Jackie said: “Each year I find the stories featured inspiring and humbling in equal measure, finding out about people who have done so much for others. Some are coping with adversity in their own lives, some have turned tragedy around to do something incredibly positive and some have wells of energy which defy belief, but all of them have incredibly big hearts.

“And I’d like to think that Scotland’s People – and the very special surprises for those chosen – will go some way to honouring these people. We have some wonderful moments in store, which will provoke emotion, but also some smiles.”

Samantha Gough, from Lasswade, also had “the time of her life” thanks to Scotland’s People and the people who nominated for a special surprise from Jackie.

Samantha was diagnosed with a cerebral visual impairment an early age. Although her eyes are healthy, the brain’s visual pathways do not work. She was told that she would lose her sight as she grew up and would most likely be blind by aged 18. Samantha is now registered severely sight impaired with only some light in her vision and requires a white cane to navigate.

An avid sports enthusiast from a young age, she faced an uphill challenge in her teens, but also with other people’s understanding of her condition but also her capabilities, with teachers wary of letting her participate which led to some isolation and mental-health challenges.

But, determined not to let anything get in her way, she worked hard and sought sporting opportunities outside of school. She participated in swimming and goalball to competitive levels, and she is now the Captain of the England Ladies Blind Football Team. Samantha represented her country in goalball, earning a bronze medal in the European Para Youth Games. Her ambition is to achieve a Paralympic gold medal, and she is now training towards this in rowing.

Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Samantha spent a lot of time at Bright Sparks Centre, who offer a range of clubs and activities for children with additional support needs, and she now volunteers at the centre, helping with crafts, hosting bingo and quiz nights and packing and delivering food parcels to families associated with the centre who are struggling.

Samantha is also a disability ambassador, and has been a member of several panels, including the Scottish Disability Sport Young Persons Panel, British Blind Sport Youth Advisory Panel and Every Body Moves Lived Experience Panel. She visits primary and secondary schools and gives presentations on her experience growing up visually impaired, teaching the children about the different stages of sight loss and how it affects people, helping schools to be more inclusive and inspiring children with disabilities that they can do anything.

While sport has been her main focus, the music of Dermot Kennedy helped her through some difficult periods and another passion has been the stage version of ‘Dirty Dancing’, which she has been to many times.

And Scotland’s People found a way to combine both when Jackie Bird interrupted a matinee performance at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow as Samantha and her family and friends were in the audience. As Samantha joined the cast on stage, special tributes were played out from her musical hero Dermot and her sporting hero Scottish Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg, as well as tributes from her family and peers from Bright Sparks.

Jackie said: “What an inspiring story and what an inspiring young woman.”