The Sign of the Seagull
A lone seagull, spiraling high in a clear blue sky, caught the attention of well known Church of Scotland retired minister, the Rev. Hugh Mackay. That seagull soaring above the waters of the River Forth near North Berwick, to which he had recently retired, reminded him of the opportunities for adventure which he had provided earlier in his career for young people from his parish at Torphichen and neighbouring Linlithgow, when he founded Scotland's only inland Sea Scout troop in the former stables at Woodcockdale on the Union Canal about 1km east of the Avon Aqueduct.
The sight of that seagull flying free in the fresh air set him thinking about how he could create a similar chances for elderly people like himself, as well as those with mental and physical handicaps to enjoy sailing on the tranquillity offered by Scotland's inland waterways. The answer he concluded was to construct a specially designed vessel and equally important, find appropriately trained volunteers to crew it.
For most people this fleeting notion would have remained simply pie in the sky and have disappeared from mind as swiftly as the sea bird, which had first inspired it.
Hugh MacKay, however, was no ordinary man. As all who knew him will readily recall he was a very dedicated individual with determination to achieve and deliver whatever he committed himself to do.
Far from being forgotten, therefore, that lone bird wheeling above the East Lothian coastline became the now familiar symbol for the Seagull Trust, a charitable organisation which for over a quarter of a century has provided the special cruises, about which its founder Hugh Mackay had the courage first to dream.
This is the story of the Seagull Trust and one of the committed crew of individuals, who Hugh Mackay inspired to come aboard to ensure his dream became a reality for thousands of elderly and handicapped passengers, whose pleasure and enjoyment are the best memorial the minister could ever have had.