EAST Lothian’s Parliamentarians have sung the praises of outgoing Leuchie House CEO Mairi O’Keefe.

Mrs O’Keefe will stand down from the helm of the national respite centre next month, south of North Berwick, 15 years after she took on the role.

And Iain Gray MSP and his Westminster counterpart Martin Whitfield MP have both praised her work.

Mr Gray, East Lothian’s representative at Holyrood since 2007, told the Courier: “It has been a great pleasure to work with Mairi at Leuchie House over the last few years.

“From campaigning to save Leuchie from closure to securing significant funding to keep it going, she has been the driving force behind the unique facility’s success.

“Mairi and her team have also helped put North Berwick and East Lothian on the map, with many hundreds of people from across Scotland and beyond remembering it fondly for the warm welcome and superb care and hospitality they enjoy at Leuchie.

“I know that Mairi’s retirement as CEO will not mean the end of her involvement at Leuchie, but she will certainly be a very hard act to follow and I wish her all the very best for the future.”

And Mr Whitfield praised Mrs O’Keefe for her “passion, knowledge and commitment” to Leuchie’s success.

He told the Courier: “What she and her team have achieved in establishing Leuchie as a very well thought of independent charity is remarkable and she fully deserves all of the praise and plaudits she has received over the years. I’m sure Mairi will continue to be part of Leuchie’s future and wish her and everyone else at the charity continued success in the years ahead.”

Mrs O’Keefe will be replaced as Leuchie House chief executive by Mark Bevan, the former CEO at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).