Through the work of his charity, the Sandpiper Trust, Robin Maitland has helped to save thousands of lives across the north and north-east of Scotland.
Together with the British Association of Immediate Care Scotland (Basics), it has trained more than 850 doctors, nurses and paramedics as emergency responders and equipped them with £1,000 kits full of all the medical equipment they might need to keep a casualty alive during the “golden hour” before admission to hospital.
Read: Robin Maitland critically ill in hospital
The trust was founded after 14-year-old Sandy Dickson – the nephew of Mr Maitland’s wife Claire – drowned in 2000 and died before medics could save him.
The charity’s patron is rugby legend Gavin Hastings and its supporters include the Princess Royal and the Queen, who presented the 500th and 700th Sandpiper bags.
Earlier this year, pop star Emeli Sande took time out from her homecoming concerts in Aberdeen to help Mr and Mrs Maitland hand over kits to two of the newest recruits, Dr Julie Gray, Old Machar Practice Aberdeen, and Dr Kris McLaughlin of Stonehaven.
And when golf ace Bernard Gallagher suffered a cardiac arrest at the Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen in 2013, it was a Sandpiper Trust volunteer – the late Mark Bloch – who helped to resuscitate him and get him safely to hospital.
Last year, the charity introduced first aid for farmers courses, teaching agricultural workers the skills they need to keep themselves or a neighbour alive until volunteers can reach them.
It is now aiming to raise £500,000 for an innovative campaign which could prevent as many as 50 deaths a year in the north-east.
The Sandpiper Wildcat project will equip emergency responders with heart-start machines and train them specifically to deal with cardiac arrests in rural Aberdeenshire and Moray.
The aim is to buy 100 defibrillators and complete training by the end of this year.
Go to www.sandpipertrust.org for more information.