Ordinary Angel

Ordinary Angel

One of my earliest memories as a child concerns a time when I was about 7 years old. My mum was struggling on her own with six demanding young children and we were living in a damp flat in a decrepit tenement building which stood near the Tennent’s Brewery in Glasgow’s east end. I recall one dark, winter’s night when the money had run out and the cupboard literally was bare. There was a knock at the door which I answered to a well-dressed, polite man who smiled and said, ‘a friend told us you might be in need of this.’ He then handed me a rather heavy box which I could barely carry before turning around and heading down the dark stairway.

I took the box into the living room and explained what had occurred to my mum. She opened the box and to our delight it was full of tinned food, fruit and all manner of nice things. It was like manna from heaven to us coming as it did at our moment of greatest need. My mum explained as she read a small card she found in the box that it came from the Society of St Vincent de Paul. She told me that in life sometimes we meet people whom she called ‘ordinary angels;’ People who do good things for others and ask for nothing in return.

Recently we lost one of those ‘ordinary angels’ with the passing of Michelle McFarlane. Those of you who know the work of the charity, ‘The Invisibles,’ will know that it is at the forefront of supporting the homeless who sleep on the streets of Glasgow. Michelle brought drive, energy and organisation to the charity as well as her knowledge of the various ways to help those on the streets with advice on benefits and other useful information. She joined The Invisibles at a time a rag-tag team of earnest and decent people were doing their best to help those in need. She brought organisation, allotted tasks which suited the skills of those who did them and helped forge a much more cohesive and effective organisation. Those who knew her well spoke of a woman with a heart of gold allied to a steely determination to do the very best she could for people she sought to help.

Michelle was a fighter in a variety of contexts and as a life-long Celtic fan saw the injustice of the Offensive Behaviour at Football act and the heavy handed way it was being implemented. She did all she could to support ‘Fans against Criminalisation’ and was pleased when the Act was eventually scrapped. One colleague who worked closely with her said of her…

‘It was in her DNA to help people, not just the homeless or football fans, but everywhere she saw injustice. She did all of this and still remained a very humble person.’

Her passing was marked in a very poignant way outside the Invisibles centre in Cadogan Street, Glasgow. Volunteers, family members and some of the homeless people they and Michelle have helped along the way gathered to pay tribute to a remarkable woman. They created a makeshift display using her picture which was surrounded by the light of candles which brought light to the darkness of an autumn night in Glasgow. The symbolism was very apt for a woman who in her life brought light to those in need. The comments on the Invisibles web page when her death was announced speak volumes about the sort of person Michelle was. Here are a few….

‘Gutted for you all and for those Michelle cared so deeply about.
Michelle was at the heart of so many campaigns, fighting for justice tirelessly.
Such a sad loss.’

‘One of life’s good troopers, she will be working tirelessly up there too.’

‘Rest in peace my friend, you will always be in our thoughts. God bless.’

‘The Lion sleeps tonight, RIP our dearest friend and volunteer, we will continue our fight to support the most vulnerable in our city.’

‘Goodbye friend. You made the world a better place and not many can say that.’

‘Just can’t believe she’s gone, a true woman of principle and we were all lucky to have known her.’ 

‘The saddest news. I have been sitting right in front of her, Mark & Michael at Parkhead for about 20 years. I am heartbroken. R.I.P My friend’

‘Such a truly wonderful woman with a heart of pure gold; you will be sadly missed.’

As balloons drifted into the dark, night sky over Glasgow in memory of Michelle, a group volunteers, family and some of those Michelle helped on the streets had gathered to honour her. Of course they were saddened at the loss of one whom they held so dear but were also proud of this feisty lady who fought for those less fortunate, for the poor, the harassed football fan, for those in need. 

Michelle made a difference and won the trust and respect of the many clients she worked with. She also won the affection and admiration of many who came into contact with her and could see she was the real deal, a genuine person who not only cared about people society had marginalised but actively fought for them. She would have smiled at the Green Brigade's banner flown in her honour at Celtic Park. No doubt she would point to the others who worked with her and share the recognition.

Rest in peace, Michelle and thank you. You were indeed a Champion of the people and in the words of my old mum, one of life’s ordinary angels.