Tributes paid to 'incredibly community minded' Gwynneth Wright of Kingussie
The capital of Badenoch is mourning the loss one of its real community characters with news of the passing of former hair stylist Gwynneth Wright.
Mrs Wright died on New Year's Day at 77.
Her daughter Stephanie told the Strathy today: "She had been in Lynemore Nursing Home at Grantown in recent years and sadly we lost her on January 1st. We know Mum will be very much missed greatly in the strath because she had devoted so much of her time to the community over the many decades before."
The Wright Style, in King Street, had been a hugely successful business, not just in commercial terms but in becoming a lifeline for 'my ladies' who would meet in the salon and get up to date with all the goings on across the strath.
But over and above her business, Gwynneth had served the area in a wide range of capacities, notably on the Kingussie and Vicinity Community Council where she had done several stints over the years.
Her support of local campaigns and charities was nothing less than legendary, not least for the Nields' astonishingly successful Bikeathons held to raise funds to combat blood diseases.
A highly active cyclist and supporter of Cycle Friendly Kingussie, there was one Bikeathon she was determined not to miss despite recovering from a serious injury.
She duly turned up at the Ardvonie Car Park base with an exercise bike and proceeded pedalling t the delight of her sponsors. She did not stop until she had covered the statutory mileage for the event, contributing a very healthy sum to that year's pot.
"Like everyone else who knew her, I was saddened to hear of Gwynneth’s passing," said former community council chair Ailsa Schofield.
"She was a real character, and also incredibly community minded.
"Not only was she a highly valued member of KVCC for many years, she volunteered for other organisations too. She was also extremely active in organising numerous community events, and her hairdressing salon often acted as H.Q for many of these occasions.
"The one which springs to mind the most was the Christmas Eve Santa’s parade, when folks dropped off their donations of wine, mince pies and Christmas cake, ready to fuel the Christmas eve festivities. There is no doubt that Gwynneth was a complete one off, and will be very much missed."
Another friend and former community council colleague, Val Emmett said today: "I only heard about Gwynneth’s parting on Friday. Ailsa, Gwynneth and I all served on the Community Council for some years and they were often lively occasions, where Gwynneth wanted to make sure everyone was clear about the items on the agenda.
"She will be sorely missed. She had a very strong social conscience and I remember that she often volunteered to organise or to help with organising community events.
"She would often cajole others to help in a very friendly way, e.g., in organising the annual senior citizens Christmas party or the carols around the tree at Christmas.
"I remember too, she took an active part in organising a street party one year to celebrate an important event linked back to the Second World War . A visit to her hairdressing salon was also a very friendly social occasion, your haircut was accompanied by lots of chat and you could catch up on local news!"
There will be more on Gwynneth Wright's contribution to the community's wellbeing in next week's Strathy.