TRIBUTES have been paid to an “extremely generous” and “inspiring” woman who died following a fire in her Abermagwr home.

Friends of Phillis Marianne Taylor, 81, known as Marianne, who died after a fire at her home in January, have described her as an “amazing woman”.

Marianne allowed the use of her land for the Fire in the Mountain folk festival.

Diana Buirski told the Cambrian News this week: “She was a wonderful woman and extremely generous in sharing what she had with other people. It was because of Marianne we were able to have the Fire in the Mountain festival for so many years, and everyone associated with the festival is so sad, but so grateful for Marianne’s generosity.”

And Joe Buirski, festival director, in a moving tribute on the festival website, said: “Marianne was an amazing woman. She embodied the wild spirit of the mountains for me.

“I would look forward to conversations about the ‘mountain way’, the old myths and legends of the area. We’d often argue about politics until late in the evening. She was a thinker. She had little time for boring practicalities.

“I learned a deep respect for the area, the people that live there and it’s history from Marianne, and cultivated a deep connection with the land and the community. Marianne loved the festival, the joy it brought to so many people, the community of friends she built up."

Fire in the Mountain Festival is inviting financial tributes be made to the Wonkey Donkey Sanctuary. To donate, visit: www.wonkey-donkey.co.uk.

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