Tributes to pensioner given MBE for services to NHS following crash

Tributes have been paid to a “fun and loving mother and grandmother” who died in a crash between a car and a bus.

Philippa Grant, 73, was pronounced dead at the scene following the incident on the A9 near Carrbridge on Friday, September 16.

A section of the road was closed for almost eight hours after Ms Grant’s Silver Audi A4 collided with a single decker bus.

Eight passengers on the bus were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness where they were treated for minor injuries before being released.

Ms Grant, who grew up in Buckinghamshire, was awarded an MBE for her services to NHS Scotland.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Johnnie, who is the custodian of the Rothiemurchus Estate, located in the Cairngorms.

They have three children – Louisa, James and Alexandra – and five grandchildren.

Ms Grant moved to the estate near Aviemore in 1975 and was active in the local community.

She served on the main board of the cancer charity, Maggie’s, between 2004 and 2015, as well as chair of Maggie’s Highland from 2000 to 2015.

In a statement, her family said that she was “driven by a deep sense of care”.

“Philippa was a fun and loving mother and grandmother, a life force who will be hugely missed by our family, friends and all who came in contact with her. We will miss her terribly,” they said.

“She will be so fondly remembered for the energy and enthusiasm that she ploughed into a career that spanned business, charity and tourism while bringing up a family.

“She was driven by a deep sense of care, whether she was improving food and nutrition in hospitals as a member of NHS Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, leading the Girl Guides, as Chair of Highland Community Care Forum or as a board member of Maggie’s as it grew from an Edinburgh charity nationwide.

“As a member of the Scottish Tourist Board, she oversaw the design of Scotland’s brown tourist signs, whilst offering her colleagues support and plenty of laughter along the way.

“She was entrepreneurial and created a viable Ranger Service at Rothiemurchus so visitors can enjoy this special nature conservation area, sustainably.

“She pursued this with characteristic vision, hard work and tenacity.”

Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s, said that her death is a “huge loss” to the world of cancer care.

“Philippa’s gave 150% to Maggie’s. In 2000, she led the development for a Maggie’s for Highlands and then joined Maggie’s main board from 2004-2015,” she said.

“During all this time and after she stood down as board member she showed her deep care and commitment for those with cancer and their families and how their lives could be better.

“She championed the growth of Maggie’s across Scotland and the UK. She is a huge loss to the world of cancer care. Our thoughts are with her family.”

Sergeant Neil MacDonald has asked that anyone who may have information about the incident to contact police.

“Our thoughts are very much with Philippa’s family at this very difficult time,” he said.

“Our investigation to establish the full circumstances of what happened is ongoing and we are appealing to anyone who can assist, who has not already spoken to officers, to please get in touch.

“If you have dash-cam or anything else that could help then please call us on 101, quoting incident number 3350 of Friday, September 16, 2022.”