‘You’d have loved our holiday home, mum’
IT’S taken nearly a decade of hard work to come to fruition.
In fact, Moira Henderson admits it’s been such a journey that you “couldn’t make it up”. But seeing the legacy to her mother eventually take shape brings a tear to her eye.
The Rings in Cupar – hailed a milestone in accessible tourism – is a holiday home with a difference.
It’s tailored to disabled and infirm guests, with widened corridors for wheelchairs, hi-tech hoists, rising and falling kitchen units and colour co-ordination to help the visually impaired.
Former nurse Moira cared for her mother Margaret in her final months, weeks, days and minutes.
She was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke. Margaret tried her best not to let it affect her, but it had a huge impact on her independence.
“It was hard to see her like that,” Moira said. “She came to live with us for a year, which was tough, but she made the most of it.
“And it was actually the best year of my life. She taught us so much about getting on with life, despite the difficulties.”
Years ago, Moira’s cousin Alex Machray suffered an autoimmune disorder and also relied on a wheelchair.
His progressive and terminal condition meant he required hoisting and it became increasingly difficult for him to enjoy much-needed time with his family. The same was true of her mother. Moira wanted to take her on holiday but struggled to find anywhere suitable to go.
In 2006, after her mother’s death, she got thinking. Moira, who lives on 90-acre Ring Farm, decided to create her own accessible holiday accommodation.
In 2010, she applied for planning permission to build a holiday cottage on her land.
But various setbacks meant it took seven years to secure consent and finance for the project to go ahead. It was only three years ago that the first sod was cut and last year – nine years after Moira set out to make her dream a reality – that The Rings was finally complete.
In fact, things took so long that mum-of-four Moira, who suffers from dyslexia, even had time to write – and publish – a book about her journey.
Thankfully the 57-year-old is great at adapting and making a success of new projects. When her husband David brought home six abandoned chicks, she soon turned it into an egg business, with 17,500 hens.
And when David decided to give up golf as a hobby and look after sheep instead, Moira inevitably ended up in a field, lambing 190 ewes with a three-year-old toddler and a six-month-old baby in tow.
So The Rings, although a struggle, was a walk in the park in comparison. Already nominated for several awards, it was officially opened by Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, last month.
“It’s just a shame mum couldn’t see this beautiful place, especially as she was the inspiration behind it.”