The Gwen Mayor Trust was established by the EIS in memory of Gwen Mayor, the primary 1 teacher at Dunblane Primary School who was killed alongside 16 of her pupils in the 1996 tragedy.

The purpose of the Trust is to advance education by providing financial support for projects in connection with the arts, culture, music or sport. Gwen Mayor’s daughter and a former colleague from Dunblane Primary School are among the Trustees to the Fund.

All primary schools in Scotland are eligible for Gwen Mayor Trust Funding. Here we look back at three school projects that benefited from Gwen Mayor Trust funding last year, and also highlight the schools that have been awarded funding for this year.

Aberlemno Primary School

The grant has allowed us to develop a beautiful and calming library space where our children (and families after Covid) will be able to meet, explore a vast variety of books and support their health and wellbeing as well as literacy skills. The plans are that our Tots group and family learning sessions will also take place in our new library once Covid restrictions are reduced.

Jayne Mclean, Acting Head Teacher

Long Calderwood Primary

The grant helped create an art project where a group of girls from the ‘Targeted Children’ group, identified as having gaps in wider achievement, met most weeks after school and planned, consulted, and worked to paint an image of our school motto in the dining hall depicting what this motto means to the children in the school. The finished result is truly inspiring ; the whole school loves it!

Lynn Jamieson, Headteacher

Strathmore Primary School

The school kids club was able to purchase new rackets (which they absolutely love) with the support of the Gwen Mayor Trust. They went on to participated in the Dundee and Angus Badminton Championships, achieving gold in the boys’ doubles event. Many Thanks.

Bruce Ollerenshaw, Class Teacher

Schools that have been awarded funding for this year.

  • £991 Holycross Primary School, Croy The project aim is to develop the use of the outdoors at Holy Cross primary school in Croy near Kilsyth. Currently due to the financial climate it has been difficult to fund this project. The recent pandemic has highlighted the urgency of using the outdoors as part of a recovery curriculum.
  • £800 Lourdes Primary, Glasgow Encumbered with the ‘no singing indoor’ rule, the children of Lourdes have voted to have a signing choir. We have made links with Hamilton School of the Deaf to teach basic sign language to all classes and each class has chosen a carol to learn. If we are allowed, a school choir will accompany the signers.
  • £982 Our Lady of the Rosary Primary, Glasgow All classes will be involved in designing and painting a playground game relevant to their own stage. We have been recognised as a “Learning for Sustainability” school by Glasgow City Council, and so outdoor learning is a big part of our school life.
  • £600 St Brigid’s Primary, Glasgow Through our PEF money, we have managed to purchase enough violins, violas and cellos for all our P1-P4 children. This is part of the Baby Strings project where all children learn to play an instrument as part of a string orchestra.
  • £1,000 St Rose of Lima Primary, Glasgow In St Rose of Lima Primary we have an area just outside our classrooms which we would love to have the funds to develop into a really usable and much needed space. It is hoped that with the help of the Grant that we will be able to provide a place of calmness and safety