Glenrothes Gazette and East Fife Mail Column – Published 14 June 2023
As an MSP I have the privilege of meeting and working with people who are passionate and joyful, and who care as much as I do about improving our communities.
I was really saddened to hear of the passing of Rose Duncan, who died last week following a short illness. No-one will feel this loss as keenly as her close friends and family, but the sheer volume of tributes from people and organisations across the Glenrothes area shows just how much she was loved and appreciated by our community.
“Rose has left behind an incredible legacy of compassion, care and hard work for our local community, and Glenrothes will be immeasurably poorer for her loss.“
I was fortunate to work closely with Rose over the years and was always been struck by her passion and drive to help those in need of support. I met Rose when she was manager of Collydean Community Centre, where she developed programmes which offered something for everyone in the community. During the pandemic, she worked tirelessly to make sure no-one was left wanting, turning the community centre’s sports hall into a food warehouse and giving so much of her time to get help to those who needed it.
Rose has worked for organisations around Glenrothes over the years, using her talents to secure funding for all manner of charitable initiatives. She was also a valuable friend and support of organisations across the voluntary sector in Glenrothes and was always prepared to share her wealth of knowledge and experience.
In December I met Rose to catch up on her work in the community and hold a constituent advice surgery at the newly opened Brighter Futures Health Hub. We sat outside Rose’s office and discussed the challenges faced by local people and the ways I could support the hub’s work as MSP. The office was out of action, as Rose had transformed it into a magical Santa’s Grotto for Glenrothes’ children, complete with presents, sweets and a Christmas elf.
Rose has left behind an incredible legacy of compassion, care and hard work for our local community, and Glenrothes will be immeasurably poorer for her loss. She is also testament to the power of ordinary people to change things for the better. Last week, I marked Volunteer Week 2023 by visiting the staff and volunteers at Home-Start Glenrothes. This experience brought to mind the hard work of Rose and so many others who go above and beyond to make their communities better places to live all over my constituency. I want to use my column this week to say thank you Rose, I know your legacy of compassion for all will live on.
