Warm tribute has been paid to Fife trade unionist Cath Cunningham who has died aged 63 while battling ovarian cancer.
A key figure in Fife’s community, education and voluntary sectors for over four decades, Cath played a key role supporting Fife families during the miners’ strike of 1984/85.
Those who knew her have described her as “one of the good guys” whose light will “shine for eternity”.
Her passing also leaves a “significant gap” in Fife’s trade union movement.
Working class family values shaped life
Born and bred in Fife, Cath grew up in a loving working class family that shaped her values.
It was here that she developed her sense of the importance of community and an appreciation of solidarity across neighbouring communities.
This, coupled with an emerging rebellious streak, saw Cath join the Young Communist League in her teenage years.
She was to remain a communist all her life and was proud to call herself a socialist, a communist and an internationalist.
Cath Cunningham supported Fife families during the 1984 miners’ strike
Cath came to play a major role in the miners’ strike of 1984/85, where her husband Harry was an electrical engineer in the Fife coalfield.
Through her involvement in the strike centres and the Dysart Central Women’s Committee, she would organise much needed support for families facing punitive measures from Thatcher’s Conservative government of the time.
In her campaigning work, Cath would share platforms up and down the country with key figures including Michael McGahey and Donald Dewar.
In 2010, Cath worked alongside the film producer Maggie Wright, producing a powerful documentary called ‘Here We Go: Women Living the Strike’.
This highlighted not only the role of women during the strike but also explored the role of class struggle, solidarity and community activism.
Cath was a principled individual. But she was never evangelical about her political beliefs.
She was known for her warmth, her sense of humour and her humanity.
All were readily apparent in her work in different settings.
Cath Cunningham worked with Fife mental health and family projects
Cath went on to work with Express Group Fife, a mental health support group as well as the Victoria Project, a family support centre in Kirkcaldy.
From there, she became lifelong learning coordinator at the then Adam Smith College before moving on to the Woodlands Community Nursery in Methil.
In each setting, Cath devoted her energies to people who were vulnerable and needed support.
She understood the importance of human connection and took the time to listen to people who felt they were ignored by others in authority.
Cath enabled people to take control and make decisions about their own lives, and she was an advocate for those who she felt had been treated badly by the system.
Cath was also a key figure in local political and community campaigns, advocating for woman’s’ rights and against any forms of discrimination, especially those economic injustices that blighted the communities that she grew up and lived in.
Away from work and campaigning, Cath enjoyed folk music, salsa and Italian opera.
She was able to indulge this further when she and Harry moved to Italy for five years while Harry was working in Turin with the International Labour Organisation.
Friends and colleagues ‘better for knowing’ Cath Cunningham
On learning of her passing on May 10, there was a common response from friends and colleagues who felt they were better people for having known Cath.
She was a strong, unique character who touched many lives across communities in Fife.
Speaking at her funeral, the former leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Richard Leonard MSP, said: “Cath Cunningham shone a light here that will shine for eternity.”
Cath was diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier this year and succumbed to complications arising from an infection.
Even as Cath approached the final weeks of her life, she never gave up.
She contributed to Medical Aid for Palestinians and to the education of young girls in Malawi through the McConnell International Foundation.
She is survived by her husband and life partner Harry, her son Gordon and granddaughter Zoe.
Conversation