A GREENOCK air cadet officer is flying high again after scooping a top gong for her unstinting and inspirational work as a volunteer.

Pauline Gallagher received the Sir Douglas Bader Memorial Award at a ceremony in recognition of the work she has done with other disabled cadets.

It was a welcome boost for the 38-year-old, who has cerebral palsy and is partially deaf, following a major operation which left her unable to fly.

Pauline, of Brougham Street, said: “The award was completely unexpected — it’s for the work I have done over the last 10 years with Flying Scholarships for Disabled People (FSDP).

“I’m totally overwhelmed. It was totally out of the blue. I was down at the ceremony and I saw the award but I didn’t twig it was for me!” Pauline, a squadron adjutant with 2496 Cumbernauld Squadron, mentors new candidates through the FSDP scholarship selection process and encourages students through their training, which can lead to a private pilot’s licence.

She was inspired to help others after gaining a FSDP scholarship herself back in 2004.

The former Notre Dame pupil has never let her disability hold her back, joining 49F (Greenock) Squadron when she was 15, and she served under various squadrons and became an officer in 2002.

Pauline also fulfilled a lifetime ambition by flying solo in 2011.

A graduate in computer science, she juggles her love of flying with a full-time job at BT.

She told the Telegraph: “There are no blue badges in the sky and you’ve got to make the same standard as everyone else.

“There’s a great sense of freedom up in the air and you can see for miles.

“If you fly from Prestwick you can see Northern Ireland.” The award comes two years after major surgery left Pauline grounded.

She said: “I had a major operation in 2012 — my hip hadn’t grown properly, so they had to cut the socket and move my pelvis to make it a better shape and then stuck it back together with pins.

“The operation was in the Southern General and there’s only one surgeon in Scotland that could do it. I was off work for four and a half months.

“Nowadays babies get their hips checked when they are born but that wasn’t done when I was young.

“It was getting worse and I was on a lot of pain relief.” But the biggest blow for Pauline was the fact that she could not take to the skies because of the strong painkillers she was prescribed.

She said: “I had to give up flying, which was horrendous. In my logbook there was a gap of two and a half years. It’s like a drug being up in the air, it gives you a buzz.” Thankfully the operation was a success and Pauline’s walking is now more stable.

She joked: “I can carry a cup of coffee now without spilling it!” Praising Pauline, Flight Lieutenant Stevie Cairns, Officer Commanding 2496 Squadron Air Cadets, said: “When the award was announced my Warrant Officer Jim Thompson and I cheered with joy and we were probably more excited than Pauline.

“The cadets could not contain themselves and let out a huge cheer.

“We are all extremely proud of Pauline and admire her for the barriers she has to overcome in her everyday life and are delighted she has been recognised for all of her hard work in teaching disabled people to fly.”