Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Trust - latest update

As the Minutes Secretary of the Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Trust, I was pleased to see the recent Courier article about the Trust's search in bid to pay tribute to all Tay Bridge Disaster victims.

Ian Nimmo White, the Trust's hard-working Vice Chair, has recently written an update on Trust activities :

"The coming year, starting in September, is going to be a hectic one for the Trust. We'll be appearing at a number of festivals, including Tay Roots at Discovery Point, Fife Family History at Rothes Halls, and hopefully others in Dundee and Fife later in the year. Fund-raising events planned are a second "Gael's Fire" at the castle home of our Chairman, Stuart the Younger of Balgonie, a steam railway journey, with the help of John B. Cameron, famous Scottish farmer and railway enthusiast, and a play running for one week at Dundee Rep. entitled "Five Pound and Twa Bairns" based on the plight of Mary Watson who lost a husband and two sons in the tragedy The Trust would also like to get out and about in public in Dundee sometime to with collection buckets.

What is especially encouraging is the interest shown by Fife and Dundee schools. Both the Directors of Education for Dundee and Fife have committed to the work of the Memorial Trust and a number of their headteachers, both at high school and primary level, have been in touch. Of course, each school has the right of being involved to the degree they wish to be and at a time which is suitable, based on the options outlined by the Trust's officers. Headteachers of schools wanting to be on board please get in touch - info@thetaymemorial.com. 

Additionally, heritage groups, like Markinch, Falkland, and the Fraternity of Masters and Seamen in Dundee, are lined up for talks on the Disaster by our officers, and hopefully will donate towards the effort. There are senior citizens' groups approaching us as well.  I've been doing what I call "Walkabouts" recently, simply knocking on doors and handing leaflets to people. It's surprising just how much people know about the Disaster, how much they want to talk about it, and how supportive they are of the work of the Trust. The disaster which followed the Disaster, namely the disregard for the identity of up to 75 people whose deaths were both untimely and horrendous, can now be righted, but we need the help of the public and the businesses / industries / organisations of Tayside and Fife. Please donate, either electronically at http://tinyurl.com/helptaymemorial or traditionally to Ian Rae, Treasurer of the TRBDMT, 11 Wilmington Drive, Glenrothes, KY7 6US. Make cheques out to "Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Trust."