She was a woman who loved people and animals, and might sometimes be seen driving around town with a goat in the back seat of her car.
Annabella Greig of Seaton Estate gave generously to the community in Arbroath during her lifetime and was known to most people in the town as “Granny Greig”.
And the community has now ensured that the final resting place of a “remarkable” woman is worthy of her achievements in the town.
Mrs Greig, who donated the Victoria Park Pavilion to Arbroath Town Council in 1928 and was known also for her short stories and poetry, died in 1974 aged 86.
But members of the Red Lichties Worldwide Facebook page were saddened to see a photograph of her neglected gravestone posted by member Dave Hodson. Linda Jones, a worldwide administrator of the site who lives in Toronto, Canada, sent out a rallying call for members to clean up the stone and spruce up the graveside.
Stonemason Kenny Robertson restored the headstone at the town’s Western Cemetery and members turned up to plant a selection of flowers in Granny Greig’s honour.
Linda, currently back in Arbroath visiting family, said the response was amazing: “All this from one little picture it shows the power of the internet.”
Granny’s own poetic tribute
An extract from Arbroath by Annabella Greig:
Arbroath is a well known town
With abbey, cliffs and sands
It has its parks and
commons too
Where you can hear the bands
Its bathing pool is famous now
Folk come from far away
And, at the Arbroath
paddling pools
Bairns spend the summer day
’Tis fine to see ‘the Old Round O’
That towers above the town
The abbey speaks of ancient days
The pageant notes it down
When king and courtiers, monks and all
Are seen to make their way
To commemorate a famous date
Independence Day