Margaret is off to see the Queen

“I am sure there are lots of people who deserve it more than me,” said Forres Community Warden, Margaret Cowie after being named as the ‘2011 local community hero’ by Moray MSP Richard Lochhead.

She will now take part in the riding procession for the opening of the Scottish Parliament which is taking place in Edinburgh on July 1.

Mrs Cowie who was nominated for all the work that she does in and out of the job, said that she still doesn’t know who nominated her, but she was delighted with the accolade.

She has also been invited to attend a Royal Garden party at Holyrood Palace next month as a reward for her volunteering and community work.

“It is all the community support that I get in Forres from people willing to help with any issues or organised events that keeps me going,” she said. “There are always plenty of volunteers.

She is the second Forres woman to take the honour, as local charity worker, Babs Vesco was selected at the last opening of the parliament.

Margaret who is a ‘well kent face’ in Forres will accompany MSPs and representatives from different aspects of Scottish culture and society for the special event.

Her Majesty The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Presiding Officers and the First Minister will greet the arrival of the riding procession in front of the Scottish Parliament building for a ceremony which will celebrate the opening of the new session of Parliament.

Mr Lochhead said he had received several submissions for a local hero but Margaret was the obvious choice.

“After much deliberation, I have decided to nominate Margaret who is heavily involved in all aspects of the community both in her professional capacity as a Community Warden but also through the dedication of a huge amount of her own time to community initiatives and projects,” he said. “The effort Margaret puts in is summarised very well In one of the nominations I received for her.”

The correspondent said the following:

“ Margaret’s enthusiasm and drive adds much to the quality of life of every age group in Forres. She works tirelessly for the Local Community both in her own time and in her official role as Community Warden.”

He said just some of the the activities Margaret is involved in include sport coaching, litter picks, the ‘green dog walkers’ initiative, Forres in Bloom and the Film Forres project amongst others.

“ These sentiments from those who nominated her I therefore firmly believe that Margaret deserves widespread recognition for all her efforts,” he added. “I am delighted that Margaret will be the ‘Local Hero’ for Moray, as she has proven herself to be an outstanding contributor to community life. I am sure the people of Moray will be as proud as I am to have Margaret as their representative.”