The Moira Anderson Foundation marked the 65th anniversary of the Coatbridge schoolgirl’s disappearance with a poignant remembrance ceremony and an important new development at the charity set up in her honour.
A service of reflection was held at the Dunbeth Park memorial bench dedicated to the 11-year-old, attended by charity volunteers and founder Sandra Brown, along with friends and representatives of Moira’s family.
It came on the same day as the charity officially opened a major expansion of its Mavisbank Street premises, creating much-needed new treatment and play therapy rooms for its work with those affected by childhood sexual abuse.
Sandra told Lanarkshire Live: “It was an emotional and bittersweet day, remembering that Moira has been missing for 65 years, but also reflecting on the really incredible legacy that one little girl has in her name.
“The ceremony at the memorial bench gave people a chance to reflect, with neighbours and friends gathering to remember her on that date.
“Our expanded premises at the Moira Anderson Foundation were badly needed as we’ve had a 40 per cent surge in referrals in the past year and have twice as many staff and sessional therapists as we did five years ago; it’s an amazing legacy for Moira and the organisation has been a catalyst for change.”
Moira vanished after setting out from her grandmother’s home on Muiryhall Street to run a shopping errand on a wintry Saturday afternoon in February 1957.
The 11-year-old, a pupil at Coatdyke Primary, was last seen on a bus being driven by paedophile Alexander Gartshore. Her body has never been found, even following searches in the past decade at Old Monkland cemetery and the Monkland canal.
Sandra, who is Gartshore’s daughter, always maintained that her father had abducted and killed Moira; and in 2000 set up the Foundation in the schoolgirl’s memory, working to support those affected by childhood sexual abuse.
Its premises have now been nearly doubled in size after the charity took on and redeveloped a neighbouring building following a two-year fundraising campaign.
Children’s minister Clare Haughey MSP carried out the official opening, with special guests being invited to see the new facilities including an art room and two play therapy suites, additional rooms for meeting with clients.
There are also improved reception and staff areas; plus a glass-walled link corridor which Sandra hopes will soon be further transformed, and a new garden area which will feature a further tribute to Moira.
Sandra said: “The garden will be open for clients and is also going to have a commemorative stone put in place, chosen by Moira’s family; and in the link corridor, we hope that clients will be able to create some stained glass as part of art therapy.
“The whole building has been redesigned and given us new spaces which we needed and there’s a better flow throughout – the architect has been really good and listened to what we wanted and we’re thrilled with the result.
“It’s fit for purpose and has increased the treatment areas we have; the surge in demand we had last year along justifies why we very badly needed to do this.
“We have twice as many staff now as in 2017; and we also now have a training suite and have been asked to deliver our sessions to other organisations.
“Now there’s a real sense of elation that we’ve reached this point, and we’re delighted that the minister being here shows the Scottish Government recognises the importance of the work we do.”
Sandra told how pandemic restrictions had impacted both the project and its fundraising campaign, saying: “We didn’t realise it would take this length of time and it ended up that something we thought would take one year took two; but we’re delighted with the result.
“Our programme of events was cancelled during that time but we still raised a lot of money through our 2020 fundraising campaign, and our work kept going right through lockdown with virtual appointments and as we’ve worked to meet this huge increase in demand.”
The official opening ceremony at the expanded premises was then followed by the poignant memorial reflection at Dunbeth Park, where flowers were laid as schoolgirl Moira was remembered 65 years on.
Special thanks were extended to Coatbridge B&Q duty manager James Clarke who donated £150 of plants and to Airdrie distillery Inver House who contributed barrels for the area around the memorial bench.
Volunteers also thanked Neil McKinven and Paul Doran who assisted with transport and planting, and Occasions Flowers for the memorial wreath laid at the bench.
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
