Maggie Fyffe MBE

When Maggie Fyffe and her family moved to Eigg in the 1970's to work as craft workers in the Craft Centre, which opened with much fanfare and outside funding by the then landlord, Keith Schellenberg, little did she know that she would one day become the Eigg spokesperson in the islanders' community buyout campaign. Maggie, who at the time run a small craft shop in her croft house after parting company with the estate, impressed all that met her at her kitchen table with her generous and frequent outbursts of laughter, including Scottish journalists, some of whom became firm friends. "I must have inherited my sense of humour from the Irish side of the family" says Maggie who grew up in Bolton. Having been so closely involved from the start with the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust as its secretary, celebrating its 25 years on 12 June 2022 was a special moment for her: “A lot of what has been achieved is down to partnerships, each bringing knowledge and experience to the table, …and all the volunteers hours so generously given, a good dose of fun along the way, but with a pride in everything we do to try to make Eigg a great place to live.” Maggie, who was awarded an MBE in 2009, accepted it on behalf of the community of Eigg whose vision, commitment, and energy she felt was also being honoured. “I feel it belongs to the people of Eigg as much as to me.”