- She played active role in serving the community when her husband Murray MacLehose was governor for most of the 1970s and beyond
- Carrie Lam expresses sadness at her death, saying she cared for Hongkongers
Lady Margaret Noel MacLehose, who was married to a Hong Kong governor and whose name still adorns some of the city's best-loved facilities, has died aged 99.
The former Community Chest chairwoman was the wife of Murray MacLehose, one of the city's most popular British governors who passed away in 2000 aged 82.
Her funeral was set for February 26 and the cremation ceremony was to be a private affair, according to announcements in the Scottish media.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor offered her condolences in a government statement on Friday following the death on Sunday. "Lady MacLehose took an active part in public and community service during her stay in Hong Kong, showing care for people in the community," the statement said.
"I am saddened by the passing of Lady MacLehose. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her family."
Lady MacLehose was the chairwoman of the not-for-profit organisation Community Chest, which raises money on behalf of 160 member agencies in Hong Kong, between 1971 and 1976.
She also founded the Riding for the Disabled Association in 1975, which aimed to build confidence in children and adults with disabilities through horseriding. She later also helped set up a riding school in Pok Fu Lam, according to the government statement.
Her husband Murray MacLehose introduced sweeping reforms in housing, social services and education during his time as the longest-serving governor of Hong Kong from 1971 to 1982.
He also announced the foundation of the city's anti-graft body, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which particularly targeted corruption within the police force.
The couple shared a love of hiking, and the 100km MacLehose Trail from Sai Kung to Tuen Mun in the New Territories was named after them.
Other facilities named after Lady MacLehose include the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village in Sai Kung and the HKSKH Lady MacLehose Centre in Kwai Chung, a community centre run by the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Anglican church.
Lady MacLehose Holiday Village has been turned into a quarantine centre for the Covid-19 outbreak.
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