Hawthorn Housing Co-operative committee member Betty Anderson

Betty Anderson receiving an award from radio and TV presenter Cat Harvey

Hawthorn Housing Co-operative is very sad to report that its long standing committee member Betty Anderson has passed away.

Betty had been a committee member with the Co-op since 1998. During that time she showed huge commitment to the Co-operative and epitomised the co-operative’s ethos of self-help ensuring that we stayed close to our founding principles.

Betty was never slow to voice her opinions and campaigned vigorously to ensure that her community received a fair crack of the whip and the services that other areas may take for granted. As a result she was on first name terms with the director of cleansing!

Betty was very practical and was always prepared to put in extra work:

  • Travelling to the city centre to get a trophy engraved for the local dog show which she helped organise,
  • Wrapping up over a hundred selection boxes in Christmas paper with her close friend Mammy May to make sure our Christmas event was just that little bit more special for the children who attended,
  • Organising a kids club which she ran for many years with her neighbour Dot. Many of those children now have their own kids and still speak about the Hallowe’en parties and other activities Betty organised,
  • She was also a member of the Possilpark Community Council and Friends of Possilpark Greenspace, providing an important link between the Co-operative and the wider community. Although in her 80’s, Betty was also a snow warden and looked after the grit bin outside her house.
  • Betty’s hard work was recognised in 2016 when she was a finalist for EVH’s Helen MacGregor award for Committee Member of the Year.

    Betty will be sorely missed by many.

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