Obituary: Priscilla Heaton-Armstrong, community activist, 59

Miss Heaton-Armstrong will be remembered for fostering local community spirit and supporting residents and neighbours in the heart of the Old Town.

She played a major part in bringing the local community, Edinburgh World Heritage and Edinburgh Council together in a campaign to clean up and cultivate the courtyard at historic Coinyie House Close, where she had lived for the past ten years.

She was founder and director of the Old Town Development Trust residents group, was Treasurer for Save Our Old Town, an Old Town Community Council member and secretary of the Blackfriars Residents Association.

Old Town Community Council secretary, John Thompson, described Miss Heaton-Armstrong as "very much a community-based woman".

"She got involved in community issues," he said. "She was concerned about the ageing and abandoned buildings and gave voice to neighbours and residents' protests about the area. She was the guiding light behind the gardens project at Coinyie House Close. It is quite a beautiful place now."

Mr Thompson added that it will be a sad loss for the community: "If you ask about her there they'll say she was quite a livewire around the place."

Miss Heaton-Armstrong went to Edinburgh University, trained as a teacher and taught English. She worked for British Airways as an air stewardess until she retired at 54. She also once ran a hotel and owned a farm.

Yvonne Farquhar and Fay Sweeney, Coinyie House Close neighbours, and long-time friends of Miss Heaton-Armstrong agreed.

"Everybody around here knew Cilla, you couldn't not," said Ms Farquhar. "She was like that, she was good with people, she helped people a lot.

"If you needed a letter done for something official or something she would put it right for you. She made a lot of phone calls for people, dealing with the council and that.

"She fought to get us money, to get grants through the council to get the garden landscaped, to get the place cleaned up. She was very hospitable, very bright, her door was always open."

Diane Paterson, Miss Heaton-Armstrong's niece described her as "a very strong character, and very knowledgeable in local history." Miss Heaton-Armstrong's neighbours confirmed that she was an expert at local history, being her main interest, and taught local people all she knew.

Miss Heaton-Armstrong was interviewed about Coinyie House Close as part of Edinburgh World Heritage and Edinburgh City Libraries House History Month.

Yvonne Farquhar even suggested that they should "see about putting up a memorial, a wee plaque."

She sadly passed away at St Columba's Hospice on Wednesday, September 8.

A service was held in Glasgow last Friday.