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Schools benefit from Dunblane teacher fund

Mrs Mayor, 47, was shot dead with 16 of her pupils by Thomas Hamilton, who then killed himself, at Dunblane Primary School near Stirling in Central Scotland on 13 March, 1996.

She was a member of Scotland's biggest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS). Following her murder it set up a trust fund in her memory, and donations have so far raised £150,000. Mrs Mayor's daughter, Esther Proctor, and Claire McLeod, a colleague of the murdered teacher, are among the trustees.

The trust aims to use the money to encourage art, culture, music and sports projects - and that is reflected in the first grants totalling £10,000. The activities supported include puppetry, shinty and gospel rock.

Awards include:

• £200 to Sidlaw View primary school, Dundee to buy kilts for the school country dance club
  
• £500 to Middleton Park primary school, Aberdeen, to pay for tuition for school samba band
  
• £100 to Whins of Milton School, Stirling, for a project to design and make puppets
  
• £300 to Toryglen primary school, Glasgow, to buy a kiln for the school art club.
  

"They demonstrate the rich diet of activities offered to Scottish pupils by committed and dedicated teachers, and as such are a fitting tribute to Gwen Mayor and her work as a teacher in Dunblane," he said.

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Internet Links

Official Dunblane Inquiry report
Dunblane Primary School Home Page
Dunblane Website

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