A dampener was put on the Scottish Conservatives' conference this weekend following the death of Marjory Borthwick. I knew Marjory for a number of years. She was an ever-present at conferences. She was chairman of the North Lanarkshire Association and until her death on Thursday night had been campaigning in her usual tenacious manner to be elected as a councillor.
All our MSPs have been allocated council candidates to mentor and Marjory was one of mine. She did not need mentoring but I was happy to help her where I could. Marjory was one who did the mentoring to her young charges - bright prospects like Meghan Gallacher and Nathan Wilson - who I am sure would have joined her on North Lanarkshire Council. She would have enjoyed Nathan's 'shouty man' speech at the conference.
The last time we met was the previous weekend when a team of us leafleted Overtown. We had our picture taken at Horsley Brae to highlight plans for a road scheme about which we had our reservations.
Marjory wasn't just a Conservative activist, she also did her bit for the community as a volunteer at Motherwell and Wishaw Citizens Advice Bureau. She was a force and I and the North Lanarkshire team will miss her immensely.
Our task is now to deliver the result on May 4 that she would have wanted.