All at British Dressage are extremely sad to announce the passing of Deirdre Scrimgeour today aged 86.
South West RDO Mandy Heath commented; "She will be greatly missed by all but especially the BYRDS riders in the SW region. She worked tirelessly and with no thought other than to help them succeed for many years and without her dedication, commitment and hard work SW BYRDS would not be in such a fortunate position today."
Her daughter Annabel has been using the online portal www.posthope.org to keep people updated and this was today's post:
Well the time has come and I'm afraid Mum passed away today at about 1.15 p.m. Her eldest grandson, Daniel, was with her reading poetry that he had written which would surely have been one of her most precious moments. As Mum said, she was blessed to have a wonderful life and was ready for her passing. She was not one for eulogies about herself and her greatest joy was being able to give to and enjoy the successes of her family or "the young" as she liked to call them and, in her later years, her BYRDS. How rewarding for her to receive so much love over these last few difficult weeks - not something she expected or demanded. We also, as a family, are overwhelmed by your kindness.
we have not had time to organise funeral arrangements but needless to say, Mum has had a big hand in this. Her funeral will be essentially private but we shall be holding a thanksgiving service at St. George's, Preshute to which everyone is welcome and at which we will celebrate her life. Mum does not want it to be a sad occasion; indeed, she would be embarrassed at such an occasion and, for once, we have managed to exert some influence on her. We hope to find a date that enables those of her BYRDS who wish to attend to be able to and will post further details as they become available.
finally, apart from thanking the doctors and nurses who have shown such compassion over Mum's final days, we'd like to conclude with a Celtic blessing, reflecting Mum's roots which we believe epitomises her spirit:
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
We will post any arrangements as soon as we have them.
Photo from www.posthope.org.