Father of aid worker Linda Norgrove honoured

The father of Scots aid worker Linda Norgrove has been honoured for the charitable work carried out in his daughter's memory following her death in Afghanistan in 2010.

John and Lorna Norgrove at home on the Isle of Lewis., PHOTO PHIL WILKINSON / TSPL

John Norgrove set up the Linda Norgrove Foundation with his wife after his daughter was killed during a US military rescue following her kidnap by the Taliban in Kunar province.

Her parents have gone on to raise more than £1million for projects in Afghanistan, particularly those which support women and children, in their daughter’s name.

Mr Norgrove, from Uig on Lewis, has been named alumni volunteer of the year for his work by the University of Manchester, where he studied a degree in civil engineering during the 1970s.

Linda Norgrove with her parents John and Lorna Norgrove in Afghanistan. The Linda Norgrove Foundation has raised more than £1m for good causes since Linda's death in 2010. PIC Hemedia.

Linda also received her PhD in development policy and management from the university.

Jane Maciver, who nominated Mr Norgrove, said: “John has relentlessly poured his time and effort into this organisation.

“Despite facing many hurdles and negative assumptions about Afghanistan, John maintains an optimistic outlook and is an inspiration to anybody who meets him.”

Linda Norgrove with her parents John and Lorna Norgrove in Afghanistan. The Linda Norgrove Foundation has raised more than £1m for good causes since Linda's death in 2010. PIC Hemedia.

John received his award at the university’s annual Volunteer of the Year Awards.

Linda, 36, was posthumously honoured with an outstanding alumna award in 2011 in a ceremony attended by her former classmates and lecturers.

She was working in Afghanistan with US-based international development company Development Alternatives Incorporated at the time of her death.

The aid worker was kidnapped and held as a bargaining tool by the Taliban who demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqu, a Pakistan- born neuroscientist and mother of three serving an 86 year prison sentence in the US.

Norgrove was killed by a grenade thrown by a US special forces soldier during her failed rescue mission on October 8, 2010.

Mr Norgrove has said he and his wife do not blame the soldier who threw the grenade.

In a article for Time magazine, he wrote: “He made an error in judgment. Grenades should be the last weapon to choose in a rescue. But how can I possibly blame someone in that situation from my comfortable chair in rural Scotland?”

On he and his wife’s charity work, he added: “No one was more miserable than we were after Linda died, but we now know that by taking the opportunity to help others, this tragedy has allowed us to become happier and more fulfilled.”

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