Madam, What a shame it is that Mary Sinclair Powell will no longer be working at the Heritage Centre when it re-opens in its new guise. At Ross Old Books we often get visitors who are researching family connections with Ross. We have a lot of material, but she is such a fount of local knowledge that we have frequently sent them along to the Market House to "ask for Mary".
They come back later, delighted to have found some trace of their ancestor, and they'll tell us how helpful Mary has been. They will probably have a few tales of old Ross they've just heard from her as well.
She collated vast amounts of information, including transcribing all the old trade directories into useful lists of businesses, sorted by street and the dates they flourished. She really ought to publish that information, because it is not available anywhere else. Mary's knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, all things to do with Ross is infectious and there is no doubt she is responsible for many visitors coming back again and again.
We are lucky that Mary is not planning to leave the area and we wish her happiness and success for the future.
Carol and Chris Lowndes, Ross Old Books