Good Samaritan teen rushed to help elderly neighbour after finding him unconscious: 'Putting his faith into practice'

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GB NEWS

George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 23/09/2025

- 19:12

Callum Clydesdale was doing his paper round when he found Bob Stewart unconscious

A 14-year-old paperboy has been hailed as a hero after discovering his 97-year-old neighbour unconscious and summoning emergency services.

Callum Clydesdale was delivering newspapers in Brightons near Polmont in Falkirk when he became worried that Bob Stewart had not retrieved his previous day's delivery.


The teenager investigated by checking through windows before spotting Mr Stewart motionless on his kitchen floor.

The youngster immediately dialled 999, with paramedics rushing Mr Stewart to Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert.

Although the pensioner died six days later, his swift actions allowed relatives to gather at his bedside.

The incident unfolded when Callum noticed during his morning paper round that Mr Stewart's newspaper remained uncollected from the previous day.

His mother, Lesleyann, recalled receiving a phone call from her son alerting her to the situation.

"I was at work and he phoned me and said 'Bob has not lifted his paper from yesterday' and I said, 'have a look around and make sure everything's ok," she recounted.

\u200bCallum Clydesdale

Callum Clydesdale has been praised for his actions

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The then 13-year-old first peered through the front window but found the sitting room deserted.

He circled to the rear of the property and gazed through a side window, where he discovered Mr Stewart near the back door.

Despite Callum's attempts to awake him by knocking and calling out, only a slight hand movement indicated the elderly man remained alive.

A neighbour assisted by providing contact details for Mr Stewart's daughter Morag in London, who was promptly informed of the emergency.

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\u200bUpper Braes Parish Church

Upper Braes Parish Church where Callum worships

Mrs Clydesdale described Mr Stewart as "a legend of a man, fiercely independent and was driving into his early 90s."

She added the keen golfer frequently shared homegrown rhubarb with neighbours.

Following her father's death, Morag personally thanked the teenager for his actions, leading to him being nominated for a BBC Radio Scotland Young Hero award.

"Morag said that regardless if Callum wins or not, she says he will always be her hero," Mrs Clydesdale revealed.

The teenager's mother disclosed that her close friend Vikki Craig had secretly submitted Callum's nomination for the award, recognising achievements by those under 16.

Rev Scott Burton, minister at Upper Braes Parish Church where Callum worships with his family, commended the teenager's actions as exemplifying Christian values.

"He is putting his faith into practice to love your neighbour and not treat others as merely customers or some unknown individual to overlook," the minister stated.

The experience has transformed Callum's perspective on community responsibility, according to his mother.

"It has given him more of an awareness of his community and the sort of things that he should just keep an eye on, the people around him," she explained.

Winners of the BBC Make a Difference Awards will be revealed at a Glasgow ceremony on September 28.

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