The family of a former Scotswoman of the Year have honoured her after her sad passing last month.
Betty Smart, who has been hailed as a woman with a “heart of gold who always had her family in stitches” by her granddaughter Megan Sherlock, passed away at the age of 84 on February 15.
Ms Smart, who was often affectionately known as ‘Big Betty’, was a fundraising powerhouse with a larger-than-life personality.
Having raised £1m for various charities and causes across the city and country, Betty was instrumental in saving Stobhill Hospital and even got a boy a bionic hand.
According to Betty’s son Jacky, there wasn’t much she hadn’t done to help others throughout her lifetime.
“The local community would just contact my mum and she would simply raise money for them,” Jacky told the Glasgow Times.
He continued: 'If someone was ill, she'd raise money to send them on holiday. She even did the circuit as a singer and a comedian to raise money.
“I am so proud of her, she was amazing.
“She gave her life to this since she was a young girl. Nobody will ever take her place; nobody would ever match what she has done.”
As she built up an admirable legacy, it is no surprise that Betty quickly became popular among Glasgow and Scottish celebrities.
The Kirkintilloch gran was known by the likes of Rod Stewart, who would occasionally ring her up to donate money, Nicola Sturgeon and even comedic legend, Elaine C Smith.
She was also known among footballers, actors and sportsman including the likes of Jock Stein and believe it or not, she even got Tony Hadley to sing at a fundraiser event once upon a time.
But she was also popular with the local community – almost to a fault, Megan joked.
She said: “We would always hate walking down Kirky Main Street with my gran, as you would be stopped by every second person, and they would be talking for ages.
“A 10-minute job nipping to the shop took hours.
“It got to the point when we were old enough, we would just nip down ourselves.”
Despite the joking hardships of Gran’s popularity, Megan gushed over Betty’s ability to always be kind – in her charity and to her family.
She said: “My granny always taught us to be kind, look after others and never bully. She also taught us not to be anyone’s mug and showed us all how to stand up for ourselves.”
“My granny had a heart of gold, she spoilt us rotten. She just loved to give, she would give you her last, if she saw something she thought you might like, it would be delivered to you the next day.
“We are all so proud of the woman she was, she had us all in stitches whether it be a joke or her having a moan. We always had the best laughs with my granny."
Betty’s kind spirit unsurprisingly led her to win the Scots Woman of the Year award in 1986.
The award was an annual celebration created by the Glasgow Times, to celebrate women’s achievements and the part they play in making life better within their surrounding society.
The first event took place at the Gay Gordon Restaurant in Glasgow on June 12, 1963, before moving to the Glasgow City Chambers and eventually ceasing in 2021.
Betty’s memorial was eventually held on Monday, March 11 which Megan said was a ‘beautiful service’.
She added: "We’re so lucky to have had her in our lives. Her stories, her charity work, and her family life, will always be admired and told for many years to come.”
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