In Memoriam: Helen Crummy of Craigmillar MBE

She symbolised and championed the hopes and dreams of more than she realised ..

Helen Crummy, Craigmillar community activist par excellence, died on July 11th, aged 91. It is almost impossible to describe let alone analyse the significance of her lifetime contribution to the wellbeing and constant improvement of her own community in Craigmillar. Others, scholars as well as journalists have attempted the task. She devoted her life to 'Letting the People Sing'. She held each individual in deep respect and sought to encourage them to use and develop their talents and contribution to society in any and every way possible. Just, one might observe, as she did herself.



She will be long remembered not only as a kind if always expectant leader, but for her works. And she has helped us remember what she stood for and fought for and achieved through her writings.

Helen Crummy's boy, Andrew, is a chip off the old block too ...

We have been fortunate in Prestonpans to have had Helen Crummy's personal support, and blessing, for our own modest campaigns in the Arts Festivals this past decade. She invariably appeared at key events most recently at The Miners' Gala play in Prestonpans Community Centre in early June. But she has also shared with our community her youngest son, Andrew, or "Helen's boy" as he tells us he was known as he was "dragged around Craigmillar in his youth."

Helen took great yet honourable pride in Andrew's own unique achievements with us in The Pans as we have together pursued identical socioeconomic goals to those she aspired to for Craigmillar.

Helen's boy is also 'our' boy here in Prestonpans. This Pans blogger knows full well, and wishes here to record publicly, that Andrew Crummy and his family, and the people of Craigmillar, have our community's most sincere condolences on Helen's death. Yet we also believe that her contribution to thousands of our lives in Scotland lives on and we shall strive to honour and be worthy of her memory for a long long while.