Online Talk – Sandra Brown – Moira Anderson Foundation

Senior Vice-President Charles Keeper opened tonight’s virtual meeting of the Rotary Club of Motherwell and Wishaw by welcoming all members and our speaker, Sandra Brown of the Moira Anderson Foundation.

Charles then highlighted an announcement that our Rotary District was aspect of interest from Rotary about a project involving the Covid 19 pandemic that enables the club, to apply for four tablets. These are internet ready and with specialist applications pre-installed especially for people with mental health difficulties and cognitive dysfunction like dementia. There is also technical support available for five months in case there are any problems. he said that these tablets are to go to suitable organisations in our area and therefore we need to agree which organisations we would like to support in this way. Members were asked to send the details of organisations they would like the club to propose to President Katrina in the next week. This is to allow time for inclusion in the proposal to Council and thereafter to Members for application approval. 

There will be a Council meeting next week, starting at 7.00pm, before the usual club meeting which will be at 8.00pm. 

Willie Talbot had reported that the Bonus Ball was a ‘roll-over’. 

Paul Begley reported that the 5^th, and final, Pigeon Derby race, from Wetherby to Coalburn, had taken last Saturday. Over 100 birds had taken part, however, only 9 birds had arrived back on the Saturday. Some others arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning, but no-one could offer an explanation for this. First was Tom McPherson followed by Andrew Steven, Hugh Graham, James Gibbons, Katrina Gibbons and Bill McCallum. The overall winner was High Graham with Tom McPherson in second place, Des Donnelly third and John Robson fourth. Paul thanked all the members who had participated over the 5 weeks stating that £500 had been raised to help finance candidates for RYLA 2021. 

S.V.P. Charles welcomed Sandra Brown of the Moira Anderson Foundation. Sandra is the founder member of the foundation and has supported it for 20 years. She is a teacher by profession, an author of the bestselling book ‘Where There is Evil’ and a member of the Rotary Club of Edinburgh. She explained that the purpose of the foundation was to support victims of childhood sexual abuse, whether recent or historical. Moira Anderson was a young girl in Primary 7 who went missing in 1957 in Coatbridge. She was never found, despite extensive investigations. The case is now considered as a cold case, however, it is not closed and recently someone came forward with information which is being investigated by the cold case unit of the police. The foundation supported 579 cases of sexual abuse (recent and historical) last year. It deals with victims of all ages from children as young as three to people in their 80s who were abused as children. The foundation is expanding its premises to deal with a recent 38% rise in demand for its services. The Moira Anderson Foundation was recently awarded the platinum standard “Investors in People” and has been put forward for the “Scottish Charity of the Year 2020”. 

Our vote of thanks was proposed by Jean Murray who gave sincere thanks to Sandra and the foundation for the wonderful work they were doing and for bringing the fact of sexual abuse of children to the fore.