TRIBUTES have been paid to Phyliss Cattanach after it emerged she had donated more than £7M to charity.

Miss Cattanach was the only surviving member of an Edwardian whisky family who lived in the Highlands.

The Cattanachs, originally from Largs, moved north in 1926.

Miss Cattanach's father Lorimer made his fortune in whisky and retired to Grantown-on-Spey where he built a prestigious family home which he named Kirkton.

The Cattanach family lived at Kirkton where they  were looked after by a staff that included a cook and maids.

Born in May 1917, Miss Cattanach - who never married and had no children of her own - founded The Cattanach Trust in 1992, a charity which donates money to a variety of good causes but currently focuses on helping children from deprived backgrounds.

She died in May last year just days before her 91st birthday.

Described as a very 'private lady', Miss Cattanach had a lifelong commitment to the support of charitable causes.

And last night warm tributes were paid to her after it was revealed she had left instructions for her wealth to be used to help others after her death.

Her recently published will revealed she left a total of £9.3MILLION when she died.

Miss Cattanach gifted £250,000 to the Church of Scotland, a total of £580,000 to family and friends, and £10,000 to the Dulnain Bridge Rifle Club in Grantown-on-Spey.

But she ordered that the remainder of her estate - which is expected to be around £7.3M after taxes - should be given to the Trust and put to good causes.

Lord Maclay, chairman of the trustees, paid tribute to Miss Cattanach.

He said: "Miss Cattanach was a remarkable person.

"An intensely private person, unassumingly modest and frugal and she was held in affection by all who knew her well.

"It was an act of great generosity and foresight on her part that lead to the formation of the Cattanach Charitable Trust in her lifetime.

"And the giving of the bulk of her wealth to the Trust will, I believe, be an enduring and lasting legacy of her vision."

Lord Maclay also said the main beneficiaries of Miss Cattanach's legacy would be young children from deprived backgrounds.

He added: "We in the Trust will do our best to make sure that the money is put to the best possible use and especially where there is found to be the greatest need."

Iain Grimmond, the General Treasurer of the Church of Scotland, also recognised Miss Cattanach's generosity.

He said: "We are always grateful to our members for their generosity in leaving legacies which benefit the work of the church locally, nationally and globally.

"These most generous bequests will be of great value to the local congregations involved."

The Cattanach Charitable Trust was established in October 1992 and in its early years attracted a wide range of appeals that grew in number as the Trust became better known.

The Trust has an annual grants programme of around £200,000 with grants normally being between £2,000 and £15,000 per year.

The Trust will fund charities registered either in Scotland or in England for work done exclusively in Scotland.