Tributes to Betty
Tributes have been paid to a widely respected community activist who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others in Ayr.
Elizabeth Martin MBE has died aged 85.
Betty Martin was born Elizabeth Bernaschina Moreland on April 19, 1934, in Ayr.
Her early years were spent happily with her brothers Frank, Joseph, Martin and Buddy and sisters Margaret and Christine.
The family stayed in Lochside then moved to Belmont.
Betty attended St Margaret’s School in Whitletts Road, as did all the family.
On leaving she worked for FW Woolworth in the High Street but at 18 she started working for SMT buses as a conductress.
It was during this period she met and married Joe Ireland, who was a bus driver, and they had two daughters Joan and Josephine.
The marriage did not last and Betty moved to the AA bus company to work.
An offer of a new job as a barmaid led to Betty meeting and marrying her second husband Peter Martin.
Peter was a fisherman and they moved to Edinburgh, where they had two children Catherine and Buddy.
However, circumstances changed and Betty returned to her beloved Ayr, settling in James Brown Avenue.
Fed up wi t h t h e poor reputation which surrounded James Brown Avenue, Betty decided to do what she could to improve the environment and living standards.
She would do just about anything to raise the profile of the amenities and was regularly seen in the streets dressing in varying guises, ranging from an elf to a carrot, to raise funds.
Over the years, while working for local schools in an experimental learning event, she was known as the “most mugged woman in Ayr” as her role involved her playing a victim.
Betty was heav i l y involved in setting up the North Ayr Health Centre, while continuing to raise money for Victim Support and Children in Need.
The list of committees and community forums in which Betty played an active part included Safe North Ayr, Access North Ayr, North Ayr Community Forum, North Ayr Partnership, Nailed ( Access North Ayr), North Ayr Training Group ( Readapt), James Brown Avenue Tenants Association, Community Safety Trust and North Ayr Resource Centre.
Daughter Josephine said: “Mum was actually involved in a total of 19 committees/ forums at one point
“Above all she had time for people. They in turn had time for her and many friendships were forged over the years, including Ayr MP Sandra Osborne and Prime Minister Tony Blair.”
In 1998 Betty suffered a stroke but she came back with the same fire and determination, albeit at a slower pace, to help those in need.
Her speech was affected and it was at this time that Betty’s well known words were born.
If she agreed with the committee’s decision she would say “all right” and smile. If she did not agree she would thump the table and say “oh dear, oh dear”.
All this dedication and hard work did not go unrecognised and in 1999 she was honoured by the Queen with an MBE in recognition for her services to the people of Ayr.
She mov e d f rom Lyndsey Street to Coylton to be nearer her daughter Josephine and latterly went into Airlie Nursing Home.
Betty’s funeral took place on Monday at Masonhill Crematorium.
Above all she had time for people