DUNBLANE

[needstodiet]

Remembering today teacher Gwenn Mayor, Victoria and her little class mates who never made it home from school that tragic day 17yrs ago.
Thoughts are with friends today as they mourn that loss.

GBNF

Still remember it on the news - just unbelievably awful that someone could do that in a primary school. RIP and thoughts to the families. x

I was in my 2nd year teaching. We were locked down all day - I had to tell a class of 11/12 year olds why.

Rip everyone xxx

I never forget this day either. I had started a new job that week and had gone home to lunch and heard the news.

Sophie North, one of the little girls who died, reminded me of my neice who was the same age, I couldn't get her face out of my head for a long time. I have named my daughter Sophie.

RIP Sophie North, all your classmates and your teacher x x

I'd forgotten that Andy Murray was a pupil at that school when it happened (I had seen it in some interview somewhere). Just read this report about him and Dunblane in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings.

Just makes me cry every time I read about it. :( , especially now I have a 5yo who has just started school.

I remember getting the train every morning around that time to go to work in Stirling and for a couple of weeks afterwards practically everyone on the train - men, women, old, young - would be crying as they read the morning newspaper. It was quite a normal sight to look opposite you and see a businessman in a suit with tears pouring down his face as he read the paper. Heartbreaking.

Dreadful,still recall it unfolding feeling so bad
Will never forget it
Thoughts with those affected.and it still impacts

18 years now, too many young life's lost, remember them always

Incomprehensible "the evil that men do"
Thoughts with all those affected

There was a beautiful memorial to the teacher and children in the garden of Puddleducks, a gorgeous tearoom not far from Tillicoultry, which I think was owned by her friends, wonder if it's still there.

It seems longer ago to me strangely.

I have always admired Andy Murray's refusal to "cash in" on his "part" in Dunblane. So many others would have constantly churned it out for publicity.

I agree with posters upthread who said they couldn't truly appreciate it until having a school age child themselves. Dd's first primary class was on the second floor right at the back of the school, and I remember thinking "thank God her class isn't near the entrance". Funny what things your mind brings forward.

I worked with a girl from Dunblane that summer. And we had the initial where is everyone from staff training. When she said Dunblane everyone went "ah," and then silence. She said "you mustn't ever do that, because no-one must ever not know what it means".

Thinking of and remembering everyone affected by this terrible event. Heartbreaking.

Awful snowy slushy day. I had two toddlers and a child the same age I'd just dropped at school late due to the bad traffic. They all slept with me that night.
Never forgotten.

Don't know if any of you know about it, but there is a charity which was established in the name of the teacher, the Gwen Mayor Trust. It awards grants to primary schools in Scotland, to help support arts, music or sports in schools. It was established by her teaching union, the EIS, in her memory and her children are still involved as trustees today. There is also a Gwen Mayor rose, the sales of which support the trust.

Can't believe it's been so long already but it feels like yesterday. I think your right, once you have children you can truly empathise. My ds1 is 6 and I can't imagine him not being safe at school. I had to drop off ds1 football kit to school today and ds2 asked why the gate to school was locked. I had to explain that it was to keep the children safe. I'm sure Dunblane is the reason locked schools were introduced.
It send shivers down my spine. Rest in peace

DS was a few weeks old and I was very post natal. I wept for weeks over the lost future for those children.

I was living in a remote village in Nigeria. One of my neighbours came to find me and dragged me back to the village and the radio then we all sat around and listened. None of the locals could image something so awful happening, neither could I.