Sutherland Care Forum chair pays tribute to 'incredible work' of Isobel Murray, Golspie
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The chairman of Sutherland Care Forum has paid tribute to the service’s manager Isobel Murray, who died last Friday.
Caroline Cousins said Mrs Murray’s death had come as a huge shock to her work colleagues.
“Isobel deserves public praise for all her contributions to the community,” said Mrs Cousins. “She was a brilliant member of the care forum and the work she did was just incredible.
“She would often be called out of hours by social services and the emergency services and she never hesitated to help in her own time. She was just so committed and dedicated and her energy was incredible.
“Her death has been a terrible shock to us because she has been such a mainstay of the organisation and the village.”
Mrs Murray, who lived in Golspie, joined the Sutherland Care Forum in 2014 and was its only full-time employee.
As service manager she ensured the smooth running of the care forum’s food waste initiative and its befriending and foot care services.
The forum receives food deliveries from Aberdeenshire charity Community Food Initiatives North East (Cfine) and is also a member of the Co-op’s Food Share initiative.
Mrs Murray extended the scheme after becoming concerned that people could only access the food when the forum office was open. She was also aware that some of those in need might be reluctant to visit the office.
She was instrumental in setting up an “open all hours” accessible food pantry at the rear of the police station in Golspie. It is now only to be restocked twice a week.
Mrs Murray also helped set up the forum’s befriending service which pairs volunteers with people isolated by disability or health issues.
Mrs Cousins said the service had still to access some information on the 12 befriending volunteers and the 51 people they helped support.
“The care forum is very keen that all the volunteers and befrienders are made aware of Isobel’s death and we urge them to contact us if they feel the need to do so,” she said.
Mrs Murray was a regular churchgoer, as session clerk at St Andrew’s Church of Scotland in Golspie for the past 14 years, and was previously a long-time member of the Rotary Club of East Sutherland.
