Cyclist who died despite best efforts of passers-by is named

Mr Hume came off his bike between Sunderland Hall and Boleside at around 3.40pm on Sunday, May 12.

He was helped by passers-by at the scene before being taken by ambulance to the Borders General Hospital at Melrose, where he was pronounced dead.

Among those trying to save him were two Borders teenagers flagged down by a passer-by also trying to assist.

And today the mother of the pair told how they had tried to help.

Nathan Purvis-Hutchinson, 18, currently doing military training in South Tyneside, and his sister Lily, 15, a student at Earlston High School, performed first aid at the scene after stopping the car they were in to help.

Their mother Clare said: “My mum was taking them back to Galashiels from Selkirk, and a man at the roadside tried to flag them down.

“They got down to the Kingsknowes roundabout and turned back, and in that time, nobody else had stopped.

“My son performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation while my daughter held his head and soothed him until the ambulance arrived.”

During that time, one other lady stopped to assist, and she and Nathan took it turns to give CPR, which Nathan learned through both his current training and a year volunteering with the Police Scotland youth programme.

“I told them they were very brave for stopping and doing what they did, but they just say they did what they had to do,” Clare added.

“My kids have been really brave, but that poor man still lost his life in the end.

“They tried their best, and because of that, the man was not alone at the side of the path. I would have taken comfort in that.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a 50-year-old male cyclist who came off his bike on the cycle path between Sunderland Hall and Boleside.

“Inquiries into the full circumstances surrounding this death are continuing, and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”