Myself and my brothers all live in Almondbank, just a few minute’s walk from mum's house. It was rare for any of us to go past her house without stopping in to say hello, have a chat and usually tea and a biscuit. She was always welcoming, glad to see us , always interested in what we had been up to. It’s made our family very close, my children are just as close to me now as we have been to her.

Her house, which she lived in for 70 years, was jam packed with memories, small trinkets that she’d been given over the years – little souvenirs brought back from holidays and school trips, usually by the grandchildren. Now grown up with families of their own they would often tell her just to get rid of the trinkets, but she wouldn’t hear of it! We’d often go on holiday together, to Oban or Lochinver. Mum, Dad, me and my husband and the kids all squished into one car, men in the front, women in the back! I’m grateful for those memories.

You never saw mum without her beads and a brooch. She was a regular church goer and sang in the choir till she was 90, and if you wanted to know anything about Almondbank, you went to my mum, she had all the knowledge stored away in her head. Everything else was stored in her handbag. It was a big bag, bigger than average and it contained everything you could ever need; first aid kit, sewing kit, umbrella, cutlery! It was all in there. She was always prepared, always ready for anything.

Sadly at the age of 96, mum got Coronavirus and went downhill very quickly. My brother, who lives with her, got it as well and was very poorly, but thankfully he has pulled through. We couldn’t give her the funeral she wanted, but the outpouring of love, through phone calls and cards, has been very important to us.

Her legacy is the love we hold for each other. She taught us how important family is, how you should keep them close and treasure your time with them.