Marjory Russell

Died: Friday, June 5

Marjory Russell, who has died aged 86, was a former Scotland badminton internationalist and community activist. In the 1970s, she was a SNP councillor and also chaired the Prison Visiting Committee at Cornton Vale, in which role she assiduously monitored the accommodation and social welfare of the young offenders

Born in Glasgow in 1929, eldest child of a family of five, she attended the High School of Glasgow, before gaining an honours degree in history from the University of Glasgow and subsequently training as a teacher at Jordanhill College and going on to teach in various Glasgow schools. Her father, AR Forrester, was a Scotland cricketer, and her interest in sport flourished during this time, resulting in her badminton achievements, earning her nine treasured Scotland caps between 1954-57, along with many tournament wins at home and abroad, including the mixed doubles title at the World Invitation event in 1956 and the French Open women's doubles in the same year. Recognised as a doubles and mixed doubles specialist, her reputation as one of the finest servers and net players in that era was well established.

She married fellow badminton international Alasdair Russell in 1956, moved to Stirling, where their three sons Bruce, Stewart and Keith were born soon after. Following this sporting tradition, all of the sons played junior badminton for their country, with Bruce later going on to captain Scotland at cricket; Keith's son Finn is a current Scottish international rugby player.

Drawing on the competitiveness and determination exhibited on the badminton court, and guided by her strong familial ties with the more liberal Calvinist tradition of the United Presbyterian Church, Mrs Russell embarked on a lifelong commitment to create a more decent and just society in her beloved Scotland. Her work in her adopted local community spanned many years and ranged widely.

From 1972-78 she was a councillor in Stirling Burgh and District Councils, then Central Regional Council, leading to a lifetime of political activism with the Scottish National Party, where her pragmatism, ability to listen and even-handed approach were widely acknowledged and valued. From 1975-99 she was a Justice of the Peace for Stirling, and became a member of the JP Advisory Committee from 1996.

At this time she also chaired the Prison Visiting Committee at Cornton Vale prison, on one occasion simply stating to the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament that it was 'simply not right' to lock up so many young women who were guilty of nothing more than being inadequately educated, or extremely poor (often both).

Most recently, the Family Hub opened at Cornton Vale in 2013, an important project into which she had expended much energy and time. Some of her last contributions to her community were with Forth Valley Health Board, and with Stirling Council's Better Government for Older People committee, which she chaired. As an octogenarian herself, she had pertinent and practical ideas relating to care of the elderly.

A persuasive and impassioned communicator, she was able to help galvanise the various groups with which she was attached into action. In the New Year Honours List, published 31 December 1999, she was awarded an MBE for services to the community, and to prison reform.

In 1980 she was appointed Accommodation Officer at the University of Stirling. Receiving an honorary degree from the university in 1996 after 16 years of service in this role, the laureation accorded her at the ceremony acknowledged her efforts in presiding over a period where the student population doubled, bringing an extensive development of the university's stock of accommodation on and off campus.

With her strong Christian faith and ties to the local churches well established, she persuaded many church goers from Bridge of Allan to 'adopt' overseas students who had come over to study, giving them the succour of a personalised welcome to assist their integration to the local community - it was an inspired and warmly welcomed touch and further proof of an extremely caring nature. Her faith was tested at this time, her husband Alasdair finally succumbing to a long period of illness in 1988.

A matriarchal figure for her large and geographically spread family, she was the connecting point for her sisters and brother and other relatives, no matter how distant. Of course her three sons and their families were never far from her thoughts, and her ten grandchildren were very special to her, as she was to them. She loved travelling and enjoyed regular trips to Australia visiting her son Stewart and his family.

She was a hugely social person, proud of the many and varied friendships she had developed and nurtured over the years. Amongst her strongest personal traits were those of honesty and selflessness; her ability to look for (and find) good in people was also deeply admired by many. She was thus rewarded with the genuine respect of all who knew her, and the deep love of those closest to her.

She died at home in Bridge of Allan, after an active and fulfilling life, although following a severe stroke in 2011, she was left wheelchair-bound, curtailing many of her activities with which she had focussed her later years.

She is survived by her children and grandchildren.