Margaret wins award for tireless charity fundraising

Mrs Laidlaw, 75, of Dunbar in East Lothian, has received an Outstanding Achievement Award for her "long-standing fundraising for child rights" from Unicef.

Mrs Laidlaw established the Dunbar branch of the charity in 1988.

The charity's executive director, David Bull presented her with the award and Unicef's president, former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, praised her "incredible work" and "profound achievement".

Lord Ashdown said: "It takes great energy and leadership to keep a group thriving".

Mrs Laidlaw credits much of her success to a team effort. She said: "Without my team and the people of Dunbar, nothing would be possible".

Mrs Laidlaw was born on 25 September 1934, the daughter of Reverend Frederick Sewell-Corby in Rugby, England.

Being very musical, she attended the Royal College of Music, but financial constraints forced her to drop out. In need of solid income, her father suggested child nursing. She became inspired to help children, establishing herself as a children's diathetic nurse.

She settled in North Road, Dunbar in 1987. Following months of persuasion by Unicef's former Scottish officer and friend, Anne Forrester, she finally decided to open her own branch on 3 March 1988. Twenty-three years later, Mrs Laidlaw is still the group's chair, hosting monthly meetings at her home.

She said she never set out to raise huge sums of money but has never raised less than 2,000 in a year, and "does not intend on doing so".

At the peak of her fundraising in 1996, she raised 9,580.

After being involved in hundreds of events, and raising 97,850 to date, she is still going strong.

This weekend she has organised a knitting bee at Stenhouse's Crafty Plants in Lawson's Place, Dunbar, from 10am-4pm. The entry fee will go directly to Unicef's Haiti Appeal and the knitted baby bonnets – ten of them to be made by Mrs Laidlaw – will go to Yorkhill Premature Baby Unit in Glasgow. This will be added to the proceeds from a Valentine's hamper, 40 from a collection box, 130 she has received from locals in the street and a 350 donation from Belhaven Brewery.

In the little free time Mrs Laidlaw has, she enjoys gardening, attending St Anne's Episcopal Church in Dunbar and writing for the Christian community as well as academic music articles.

And she has gone full circle, going back to her musical roots by taking up organ playing, with dreams of one day being able to play the entire hymn selection at Sunday service.