Forrester had been educated in Edinburgh before she studied theology at New College, Oxford with an ambition to be a minister.

The six were Mary Weir, Claude Barbour, Elizabeth Hewat, Mary Levison, Sheila White (later Sheila Spence and Forrester and they wrote an open letter requesting that women should be accepted as ministers in the Church of Scotland.

Every year the request was renewed and in 1967 the six found that they were not allowed to lobby the men who were making the decision so they decided to hold a press conference.

[2] Her mother in law, Isobel Forrester, was an enthusiastic supporter of the ordination of women.

[3] When the approval was given for women to be ordained Isobel sent a telegram to her daughter in law who was then in India telling Margaret of the "sweeping victory" on 22 May 1968.