A mum who lost her 18-year-old daughter to sepsis is building an emergency helipad in her remote Highland village to help save other lives.
Heather Teale is raising funds for the project and plans have now been lodged with Highland Council.
Her beloved daughter Bethany Walker died of sepsis in January 2018.
She was rushed by air ambulance to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
The helicopter was able to land in a pub car park, empty at the time, but would have struggled otherwise to find a place to land.
Applecross is at least a two-hour drive from the hospital and is accessible only by single track roads.
Bethany was airlifted from the car park of the Applecross Inn after her flu-like symptoms worsened and developed into bacterial pneumonia and sepsis.
Despite the efforts of an eight-strong medical team, the former Plockton High School pupil’s life could not be saved.
After her daughter’s death, Heather threw herself into raising thousands for the UK Sepsis Trust and a helipad for the village.
She launched a JustGiving campaign to raise £30,000.
Heather said: “We have enough money but I am continuing to fundraise for things like maintenance and possibly fencing and gates.
“It will be a heavy-duty helipad for the air ambulance, coastguard helicopter and RAF, but it will be covered with grass so it will aesthetically blend in.”
Heather said the need for the helipad was greater than ever, with the number of tourists thronging the area with tents, firepits, vehicles and motorhomes attracted by the North Coast 500 route.
She said: “Fortunately in Bethany’s case the helicopter managed to land in the pub car park as it was early morning on January 5 but for the majority of the year the car park is full.
“Once the helipad is in, I won’t have to watch the helicopter circling back and forth looking for somewhere to land. It gives me terrible flashbacks.”
John Glover, chairman of Applecross and District Community Council said: “It was a really successful collaboration by the community council, Applecross Trust, Healthcare Association and the crofters.”
The Scottish Air Ambulance Service said a helipad with appropriate lighting offered a quicker and safer means of landing in remote locations.
