Dunblane victims and relatives remember massacre 20 years on

  • Dunblane
16 pupils and a teacher were killed during the shooting at Dunblane Primary School in 1996. Credit: Stefan Rousseau / PA Archive/PA Images

Some of the survivors and relatives of the victims of the Dunblane school massacre have spoken about it for the first time, as the 20th anniversary of the tragedy approaches.

Speaking in a BBC documentary, called 'Dunblane: Our Story', the victims have said they are trying to "power on" with life and are determined to be defined by what they do in life rather than what happened to them.

Headteacher Ron Taylor said he felt 'enormous guilt' after the shooting. Credit: Stefan Rousseau / PA Archive/PA Images

On March 13, 1996 Thomas Hamilton killed 16 young pupils and their teacher Gwen Mayor in the gym hall of Dunblane Primary School, before turning the gun on himself.

25-year-old Amy Hutchison was a pupil of the primary one class that was targeted, she was shot in the leg and treated in hospital for six weeks

Doctors had suggested skin grafts on her left leg in later life to cover scarring caused by the gunshots, but she said: "To me that wasn't an option - these are my scars, they're on my body, it's my story, so I'm not going to hide them. I'm not ashamed of them."

Head teacher Ron Taylor said the "unimaginable" images from the day still live with him.

Mr Taylor said it was important to mark the 20th anniversary since the tragedy. Credit: Stefan Rousseau / PA Archive/PA Images

He told the documentary: "I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was unimaginably horrible to see children dying in front of you.

"Seeing the staff tending to the injured, seeing the bodies of those who had died - in that moment the enormity of the event hit me. That moment has never left."

As a coping mechanism, Mr Taylor wrote down his memories of the day and stored them in a box in his house - but he has never opened it.

He added: "This event was so unprecedented and so huge with so many implications for so many people that we really must mark this important anniversary.

"It's very difficult for the community and many people might not agree with me, but it's hugely important to help as best we can those who survived and support those who lost."

The small community of Dunblane was rocked by the tragedy on March 13, 1996. Credit: Stefan Rousseau / PA Archive/PA Images

Alison Ross, the sister of victim Joanna Ross, said it is hard to cope at times but she wants people to see the positive life in Dunblane today.

"It looms over us all I think and it gets a bit hard to accept," she said.

She added: "It needs to be remembered so that everyone's aware that we are still here, we are still getting on with our lives and we didn't just fade into the background either. We still had to power on and push on with our lives and it's important that everyone knows we're doing it, and doing it well."