The tragedy which occurred at Dunblane primary school on 13th March 1996, when 16 young children and their teacher were murdered, and many others wounded, remains firmly embedded in Scotland’s collective memory.

While the Dunblane community has taken great pains to move on from the horror of that day, the victims of the tragedy cannot and will not ever be forgotten.

The decision to establish the Gwen Mayor Trust was taken following the demand from EIS members for a fitting memorial to the victims of the Dunblane tragedy. Following a flood of financial pledges, both from EIS members as well as from other organisations across the country, the EIS, with the support of the Mayor family, established a charity known as the Gwen Mayor Trust.

The aim of the Trust is to provide financial support for the type of projects which were important to Gwen Mayor and her primary one pupils. Over the last 3 decades, the Gwen Mayor Trust has awarded more than £200,000 to support a vast range of arts, cultural, community and sports-based projects in primary schools across the country.

Applications open in August and all primary schools and departments across Scotland are eligible for Gwen Mayor Trust Funding. Proposed projects should fall within the purpose of the fund. Requests for full or partial funding of projects will be considered.

Here, we take a look back at some of the pupils and primary schools that have benefited from funding from the trust over the last 30 years.

Music and Arts:

In 2023 Nether Currie Primary School were very lucky to be successful in their grant application for an art show project. The project was established to celebrate diversity through looking at different art. The entire school ages 3-12 were able to get involved, learning about different artists from around the world with pupils researching their chosen art genres.

The children researched the artist, looked at their work, studied different examples and tried out some of the techniques used to re-create pieces for the exhibition. The art show was a success with two MSPs and local councillors even attending to view the children’s work and post about it online.

Kirsten H. Johnston, the school’s Headteacher told the EIS, “We couldn’t have made our exhibition such a success if it hadn’t been for the Gwen Mayor Trust grant. The whole event brought the school into the centre of the community.”

Another school who benefitted from the Gwen Mayor Trust very recently was Alves Primary School in 2025, who used the funding to purchase ‘Makey Makey’ kits, enabling pupils to design and play their own ‘digital’ cardboard guitars as part of a Beatles-themed topic.

The project combined STEM with expressive arts, as pupils formed their own bands, they also designed their own guitars and planned how to integrate other technology so pupils could make music and write their own songs.

The Great Outdoors:

Another area where schools have been able to use the funding has been in their outdoor spaces. Ordiquhill Primary School in Banff impressed trustees in 2008 with their plans to build a new greenhouse using recycled two-litre plastic bottles.

Headteacher at the time Sylvia Rae explained the project to the EIS and the school’s ambition in working towards attaining an Eco School Green Flag Award. The green house was installed and the school used it to grow tomatoes for use in the canteen and plants from seeds for the vegetable plot, class gardens and sensory garden.

Dunblane Preschool Play Association, a charitable organisation who run various groups for children aged 0 – 5 years also used Gwen Mayor Funding in 2017 to upgrade their outdoor space. They used the funds to purchase 2 large pieces of play equipment creating a mud texture area, something they would never have been otherwise able to afford for the preschool.

The Convener of the Dunblane Community Preschool told the EIS how much the children enjoy exploring their new muddy play area, promoting imaginative messy play whilst also experiencing all the benefits of being in the great outdoors!

Sports:

Gwen Mayor Trust funding can also be used to support sports and physical education, in 2016 Eaglesham Primary School Pupil Council and Sports Committee worked together on their application for a grant to be used on a range of new and exciting playground equipment.

Thanks to the funding from the Gwen Mayor Trust many children were able to get involved in fun and healthy activities while promoting cooperative play

Thanks to the funding from the Gwen Mayor Trust many children were able to get involved in fun and healthy activities while promoting cooperative play. The primary 7 children were also able to develop their roles as responsible citizens, overseeing the set up and running of playground games at lunchtimes using the equipment.

Another project where the emphasis was on improving pupils’ health and physical activity came from Southesk primary school in Montrose in 2003. The headteacher at the time, Beth Dow, told the EIS about the school’s long held aspirations to create a friendly netball league however without the necessary equipment this wasn’t possible without funding.

Thanks to the Gwen Mayor Trust the school was able to pay for playground netball court markings, moveable nets, netball bibs, shirts and skirts plus match and training balls for the new netball team. The staff and students were delighted by the support and were able to get their team and league up and running.

Wellbeing:

Pupil health and wellbeing is another area the Gwen Mayor Trust can help in your school. In 2013 Park View Primary School in Halfway, Cambuslang were able to create a new Nurture Room which pupils and staff call The Rainbow Room, a space designed to support pupil wellbeing in a variety of ways.

The ‘home like’ environment gives children an opportunity to relax and build positive relationships with each other. Staff provide the children with time to talk about their feelings in a private and supportive context, and they are given lots of opportunities to learn and express their emotions through play.

Miss Claire Longmuir, a classroom teacher at the time, told the EIS, “The children love having the opportunity to play and learn together in the Rainbow Room. They are always eager to go to the Rainbow Room to socialise. We are already seeing the benefits of experiences that they have had. The financial support from the Trust has been invaluable.”