TRIBUTES have poured in for a much-loved children's author from Greenock who touched the hearts of so many people.

Cathy MacPhail, who inspired generations of young people to share her love of reading, has passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at the age of 75.

Acclaimed writer Cathy was the prolific award-winning author of more than 60 books, including Tribes, The Evil Within and Another Me, which was made into a film.

Greenock born and bred, she was enormously proud of her roots and community.

Her son David, who eventually followed in her literary footsteps, told the Telegraph: "Inverclyde was in her heart and soul – it meant everything to her.

"I think she would like to be remembered as a storyteller."

Cathy, who lived near the Esplanade, was well-known in the area and worked very closely with schools in Inverclyde and further afield.

She was married to Archie, who sadly passed away in 2001, and they were blessed with three children, David, 48, Sarah, 45, and Katie, 44, and six grandchildren.

The family say they've been overwhelmed by messages of support from people from all walks of life.

David said: "Mum loved going to schools - the messages I've received have been overwhelming.

"We've received messages from schools, from other authors, actors and the Scottish Book Trust."

David says what made his mum so special was the fact that she was always down to earth.

He said: "She could go and talk to BBC executives, publishers, actors and travel all over the world and she never changed her accent, she spoke the same way and she worked with top publishers like Puffin and Bloomsbury.

"All her books were set in Greenock and Another Me was a made into a movie in 2015, which meant her work and Greenock was known internationally."

Her first children's book Run, Zan, Run, published in 1994, was based on her own daughter Katie's experience of bullying.

Katie said: "She wrote about my experience and this launched her writing career and I never let her forget it.

"Mum was wonderful at turning the negative into the a positive experience."

Among her many prizes, Cathy won the Kathleen Fidler Award and the Verghereto Award in 1997.

Katie said: "I went with mum to Italy to collect the Verghereto and it was a fantastic trip.

"There were all these little Italian boys and girls getting autographs.

"Mum wanted to inspire people."

Cathy's family say that their mum championed the disadvantaged and believed everyone could fulfil their potential.

Katie said: "She always believed that it didn't matter what your background was if you believed in yourself, she always said that to children.

"That was my mum's life, she didn't let her background hold her back."

Cathy was brought up in Roxburgh Street with her three sisters and her father died when she was only two.

Although she was bright and Dux of the school, she had to leave at 15 to support her family and worked in the mill.

This was her inspiration for her later BBC radio comedy series My Mammy and Me.

David said: "Four of them shared a bed and the older ones looked after the younger ones."

Cathy worked in IBM where her late husband was also employed and said that joining the Greenock Writers Group was a crucial step in her career.

Katie said: "She did a huge amount for Greenock. Class teachers used to send letters from 30 children and she would sit at 11pm at night replying to every single one.

"It was the children he wrote for, she kept them at the centre, not the editors - it was all about her readers.

"She was a huge advocate for the town and did many visits to Greenock schools for free and would go to their awards ceremonies."

Cathy worked well into her 70s and then in 2018, after suffering a 'thunderclap' headache, she was rushed to hospital.

She was diagnosed with a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a rare type of stroke caused by bleeding on the brain.

The author, who lived near the Esplanade, was later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Newcastle where she underwent specialist brain surgery.

David said at the time his mum had been lucky to survive.

The pair had just completed a joint project called White Feather, marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War and it was only completed on the morning she took ill.

Cathy spent several months in the rehabilitation unit in Inverclyde Royal Hospital before moving up to stay with David and his family in Blairgowrie.

The family are currently making arrangements for their mum's funeral and will publish a notice in the Telegraph.