Charity in the north east: Coull family raises £1000 for Alzheimer Scotland in memory of Anna Scott, who was their granny as well as a Dufftown and SNP stalwart
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A well-known north east family have raised over £1000 for Alzheimer Scotland in honour of the former Glenlivet councillor Anna Scott.
Anna, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 91, had lived with dementia for 10 years following her initial diagnosis and was a respected figure in her home village of Dufftown.
Her grandson Gary Coull, who also used to sit on Moray Council, tackled the charity's Memory Walk alongside his brother and sister Stephen and June.
Their 16-mile route started and ended at Anna's old home where she lived with her late husband Jim from 1957 onwards.
Gary (36), who represented the Keith and Cullen ward, said: "She was a huge inspiration to me on a number of fronts. Obviously politics was one of them, but so too was dancing.
"She loved Scottish traditional music – plus some Jim Reeves – and she loved old-style dancing.
"Any time there was music on, she was moving.
"Even in her later years I can vividly remember dancing with her in her kitchen in Dufftown. She's the only person I've ever managed to dance a quickstep with."
Anne served as councillor from 1990-99, while Gary did the same from 2007 and 2017 and was the leader of the Moray SNP group.
In addition, Anna's daughter, Theresa Coull, who is Gary's mum, is a current councillor for the Keith and Cullen ward.
Gary who now lives in Insch and also teaches dancing, said: "She was just a kind, lovely person and when she died lots of folk from the community were passing on their sympathies.
"She had a great sparkle in her eyes plus a real kindness – and that’s what I remember most about her.
"The love for her family, in particular, but for her community as well just shone through.
"She was Dufftown’s biggest fan. In fact, she was really miffed that she was born in Aberlour because she always wanted to have been Dufftown born and bred!
"She was so passionate about the village and that, ultimately, is what led her to stand for election and represent her community for a decade.
"Even after she retired from the council, she was still involved in the community through various groups. She always had that zest for helping those around her.
"She was my inspiration for getting into local politics. It was seeing her helping people when I was growing up that made me want to step forward."
Their route took Gary and his siblings past the Dufftown-Mortlach twinning sign which Anna unveiled – a link between the village and the Canadian settlement, of which she and Jim were active members.
The walk also provided a chance to reminisce together about their granny.
However, equally important to them was raising vital funds for Alzheimer Scotland.
Recalling how the symptoms of dementia began to show, Gary said: "Once my grandad died in 2009, it became more obvious.
"It's probably quite common that spouses are able to help their partner when they begin to get forgetful.
"They’d been married for over 50 years before he died in 2009 – and it was after that we really began to notice.
"She was diagnosed fairly soon after that.
"It gradually got worse from the early days of not remembering things to, latterly, not being able to cook very much, forgetting to eat and, eventually, beginning to wander out of her house.
"But the community in Dufftown were brilliant because they looked after her.
"She then went to live at Anderson’s Care Home in Elgin and they were great with her. Really wonderful."
You can still support Gary’s Memory Walk by donating via his fundraising page here: memorywalk.alzscot.org/gary-coull
