Tessa’s special birthday gift for trust
A woman whose MacMillan ancestors lived on Arran has raised more than £1,000 for the Arran Trust by asking for donations rather than presents for her 30th birthday.
And last week Tessa Szczepanik, and her mum Lynette, from Kent handed over £1,017.50 (£930 in donations and £87.50 in Gift Aid) to the trust during their latest visit to the island they love.
Tom Tracey, who accepted the donation on behalf of the Arran Trust, said: ‘We are extremely grateful to Tessa for this generous donation. It will be put to good use in the future work of the trust.’
The family’s connection to Arran goes back a long way. Tessa’s six times great-grandparents John MacMillan and his wife Kathrine Henry came across from Kilberry in the 1700s and the southern boundary of their farm at Tormore runs through the modern property of Ashlar at Machrie, where Andy Leese has his furniture business. When John moved to Arran, the Burrell Journal reprinted by Lady Jean Fforde mentioned that his guarantor was one of the MacMillans of Dunmore and related to the ancestors of the clan chief, George MacMillan of MacMillan and Knap who lives at Finlaystone near Langbank in Renfrewshire.
Her five times great-grandparents Robert MacMillan and Kathrine Stewart continued farming at Tormore, married on Arran in 1784 and worshipped at the Old Clachan Church near Shiskine. The Arran Trust has helped to fund the restoration of the church where Tessa has two plaques about her family.
Her four times great-grandfather Robert MacMillan was born at Tormore in 1800, moved to Ayrshire, married Marion Munro from Glasgow and lived in Irvine after their marriage in Ayr. He was a master slater. Their son John MacMillan moved to India in the 1850s, working as an engineer on the flood defences at Cuttack in Bengal, now part of the state of Orissa, and the family stayed in India until moving to England in the 1930s.
Tessa said: ‘Grace Small, the retired genealogist at the Heritage Museum, kindly showed us the site of our ancestors’ farm at Tormore and the Old Clachan Church, as well as introducing us to our other MacMillan cousins in the Lake District, America and Canada.
‘Our family remembers that we are cousins of the Macmillan publishing family and former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan but Grace kindly proved this for us because a document states that these Macmillans in the northeastern part of Arran kindly paid for our MacMillan family pew at The Old Clachan Church and this arrangement is very unusual.
‘We have visited the Isle of Arran almost every year since 2002 - the beautiful landscape and kind, welcoming people have ensured that Arran has a huge place in our hearts.’
Tessa held her 30th birthday party at The Caledonian Club in London on Saturday July 1 and her family had asked Denise Lewis from Cakes Unlimited UK near the family home in Tonbridge, Kent to create an Arran cake for the occasion. During the party the adults were given coasters and the children given and colouring books, wrapped in Arran wrapping paper, all from Arran Graphics, which they all liked.
You can still donate to help the trust at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Tessa-Szczepanik