Our Stories

Maisie – The Surprise

I am a keen amateur photographer. I just love taking photos especially of unusual things. My favourites are photos of the sun, moon and stars.

One weekend I headed off to the hills of Scotland. I had booked a cabin for a couple of nights in the middle of nowhere. After settling in and having dinner I set off. I knew there was going to be a full moon tonight and I was desperate to get a good picture of it. Until it got dark I amused myself with photos of the loch and was lucky to see a deer and two squirrels. Eventually I saw the moon begin to rise and settled down to get a good photo of it.

Camera all ready and oh my goodness what a beautiful sight. I got one lovely photo and suddenly heard a funny noise. I took a few more photos and heard this noise again. I thought this sounds odd but it definitely did not sound like an animal. I started down the hill trying to see what it was. I got closer and under a tree wrapped in a blanket was a baby. I could not believe my eyes. The poor wee soul! I looked around but there was nobody else there!

I lifted up the infant and held it close to keep him or her warm. I shouted “Is there anybody there?” but no one replied. What will I do? I have never had children but knew I would have to get this baby out of its wet clothes and get it something to drink. I gingerly made my way down to the cabin. First I thought I had better phone the police but then remembered there was no phone connection here as I had tried to ring my mum earlier.

Ok I thought here we go. I stripped the baby and found it was a little girl I thought about two months old although I wasn’t sure. I put her in the sink and gave her a wee wash in warm water and wrapped her in a towel. I dried her carefully and made a sort of nappy with a cut up towel and a couple of safety pins which I had in my bag. I put my t shirt on her a bit like a long nightie. So far so good but she was beginning to cry again. Suddenly I remembered my mum telling me when I was little she mixed a little carnation milk with boiling water if she had run out of baby milk. I always carry carnation milk with me on my travels for my coffee as it is my favourite. I got it ready in a jug and knew I had to let it cool before giving it to her but what could I put it in to feed her. By this time she was screaming and I started to rock her but she was obviously starving. Then I had a brilliant idea. My water bottle was one of these that you pulled up and a little came out. Gingerly I filled it up with the cooled milk drink and held her in my arms and put it in her mouth making sure she did not choke. Surprisingly she got the hang of it really quickly and did not choke. She finished over half of it and I burped her over my shoulder as I had seen my mother do with my baby brother and then rocked her to sleep. What now I put her down on my bed covered her with my jumper with a pillow on either side to make sure she did not roll off the bed. I looked at the time it was 3 am. I then decided to wait until morning and then take her to the nearest hospital to get her checked out and phone the police. The wee baby slept the rest of the night but I didn’t I just sat and watched over her. She is such a pretty wee baby how could someone leave her there on her own. Anything could have happened to her but I didn’t want to think of that.

The baby wakened at 8 am and I changed her again and gave her the remainder of the milk. Next problem how could I drive with her safely in the car? I got my rucksack and placed her beside it covered her up with my jacket and on the other side placed my camera bag so hopefully she would not fall off the seat. I drove very carefully and got to the nearest hospital which fortunately was only about an hour away.

I carried her into the accident and emergency department. Luckily it was not busy. I explained to the receptionist and asked her to ring the Police and Social Services. I went into the emergency room with the baby and the doctor appeared. He checked her over and said she seemed fine. Thank goodness I thought. The doctor did laugh at how I had dressed her and went to get some nappies, a baby grow and a bottle of milk. He then showed the baby and me into a side room to wait for the Police and Social Worker to arrive. When they both arrived quite quickly they asked me lots of questions. The Social Worker made some phone calls but could not get a foster parent until the next day. She asked me if I would be prepared to keep the baby for another day. I was actually delighted as I had grown fond of the little girl and I agreed and told her my mother would help me. The Social Worker got me a baby seat and a collapsible cot and some further baby supplies. I stay quite near the hospital so it was not long until the baby and I got home. I rang my mother and she came over right away and together we looked after her.

My mother like me was quite taken with the baby. She insisted on staying the night and when baby woke up during the night the two of us got up and fed and changed her. I still can’t understand why anyone could leave such a cute tiny baby out in the wilderness with only a wee blanket to cover her.

The Social Worker came to take her away later in the morning and I felt really sad. She said they would be making enquiries to try and find out who had left her there and of course to find the mum who might need some care. I asked her if she would keep in touch with me and let me know how the baby was. She said she would and not to worry as she had found nice foster parents for her.

I went back to work the next day but could not stop thinking about this little girl. A few days passed and then I got a phone call from a private number. I don’t normally answer this type of call but for some reason I did this time. “Hello is that you Richard” they said. “Yes how can I help you? I said. “Do you not recognise my voice” the caller said. “No sorry” I said. “It is me Lorraine” she said. Now I knew that Lorraine and I had a short relationship some time ago but we split up soon after. “Lorraine what do you want” I said. Lorraine said “Is my baby alright” Then the penny dropped. “Was it you who left a tiny baby girl alone in the hillside”
“Yes” she said crying. I started shouting at her saying how could you be so cruel and stupid leaving a wee baby all alone with only a wee blanket to cover her. Anything could have happened to her. “I am so sorry I didn’t know what else to do. I thought if I came to your house with Julie you would have just shut the door in my face” she said. “It is your baby Richard after we broke up and I found out I was pregnant I knew you would not have wanted anything to do with the baby as we had not been getting on at the end up so I didn’t contact you and decided to bring up the baby myself but it is so hard. My parents are very strict and wanted nothing to do with me or the baby and put me out of the house when I said I was keeping the baby. I managed to rent a small flat and worked up till my baby was nearly due. After Julie was born I had nowhere else to go and after a couple of months in a mother/baby unit the Social Work were going to take Julie from me. I just didn’t know what to do. I lived for a wee while in my old car with Julie. I went to your home but was too scared to ring the bell. I watched you leaving one weekend and decided to follow you. When you went up on the hillside I followed and when you were taking photos decided stupidly to leave Julie near you. I knew you would hear her crying. At least I hoped you would and ran back to my car. I drove away and parked somewhere near and fell asleep. However in the morning when I went back to your cabin you had gone and I panicked and felt sick. I realised how dangerous and stupid that had been.

By this time I was shocked. “Are you sure this is my daughter?” ”Of course she is I can show you her birth certificate and you will see it is 9 months after we split up.” “Oh for goodness sake Lorraine I would have helped you” I said. Where is my baby now is she alright” asked Lorraine. “Well I took her to the hospital in the morning to get her checked over and she was fine. I rang the Police and Social Work Department and they asked me lots of questions. My mum and I had Julie for one night until they got foster parents.” At this point Julie started sobbing again.

“Right Lorraine where are you now and I will pick you up and we will go and explain all this to the Social Service and Police and I will find you somewhere to live and help you financially. My mum and I will help look after Julie when you find work and hopefully the Social Services will give her back to you with my assurance that I will assist you in any way.” Lorraine said” You would do that for me.” “Of course it is my child too and I want to get to know her” I said.

It took a lot of assuring before they allowed Julie to go back to her mother but after a few weeks with Lorraine in her new flat they eventually let her get Julie back. During this time my mother and I spent a lot of time with Julie and we just both love her to bits.

Lorraine got a part time job in a supermarket and between the three of us now look after Julie. I don’t know what will happen in the future but I do know I love my daughter and will do my best to make sure she has a happy and healthy childhood.

Barbara – The Cottage

Jane was looking forward to some peace and quiet after her long shifts at the hospital over the last few weeks. Working in A & E is no picnic when they are short staffed. She had finally got a weekend off and had looked on-line for somewhere peaceful that she could relax and read a book, or go for a walk without having to talk to people and make decisions all the time. This idyllic cottage in the country, surrounded by farm land seemed to tick all the boxes and she packed her car with everything she would need for a weekend hideaway. After driving through the city and into the countryside and as she turned off the motorway and made her way along the 5 mile country lane, she started to relax, this was going to be just what she needed to wind down.

Just as she saw the cottage come into view the Sat Nav announced that her destination was on the left, and she turned into the long driveway. The cottage was facing the lane with a small garden at the back but with a wooden veranda along the front of the house and a pretty garden with mature trees and plants to the side, allowing the best advantage of the sunset over the fields across the lane. Jane found the key safe where she had been told it would be and punched in the number she had been given. Unlocking the door she found herself in the hallway with the kitchen on the left and the lounge on the right, a staircase at the end of the hall which led to the bedroom and bathroom. Walking into the lounge she opened the French doors which led onto the veranda and let the rest of the afternoon sun flood into the room. This was going to be heaven just to relax here, she thought. After collecting her bags from the car and unpacking the food she has brought with her, Jane busied herself in the kitchen making a simple dinner of chicken salad and pouring herself a glass of wine, she took them out to the table on the veranda. Whilst enjoying her meal and listening to the sounds of the birds she became aware that there was another sound nearby, a kind of snuffling and mewing, it was coming from under the slats of the veranda at the far end. She got up and walked down the steps to have a look and saw that there was a hole in the wood at the back of the steps with grass poking out. As she crouched down to look into the gap she met four pairs of eyes looking at her and mewing in fright. Was it kittens, no their noses were too long. Just as she thought this there was a strange bark from behind her and she turned to become face to face with a fox holding a dead mouse in its mouth, she got to her feet as slowly as she could and stepped away from the veranda. The fox watched her and when she was a safe distance away it slipped into the hole and out of sight. Jane slowly walked back around to the other side of the veranda, so as not to disturb the little family, and sat down in her chair. So I am not alone after all, she said to herself as she took a sip of her wine and watched the sun as it began to touch the fields.

With the sunset came a cooler breeze and Jane took her plate and glass into the kitchen and started clearing up. As she stood at the sink looking out of the window she saw the mother fox walk up the drive towards the lane, out hunting again already, she thought, those little ones need a lot of feeding. Just then she was aware of a loud engine noise and saw the headlight of a motorbike coming down the lane at great speed, as she watched the bike speed passed the driveway she saw it swerve and heard the driver shout something. The fox, oh no! She ran out to the lane to find the mother fox lying on the grass just under the hedge not moving. As she knelt down she was aware that she still had the tea towel in her hand, so wrapping it gently around the fox she picked her up carefully and took her into the kitchen. Jane carried out a full inspection of the patient, just as she would have done in the hospital. She was breathing, there did not seem to be any obstruction to the airway, her eyes were closed, she was probably unconscious, but her shoulder and neck had taken the brunt of the collision and there was bleeding there. After washing the wound and applying a simple dressing found in a first aid kit, Jane stood back and thought. What am I doing I am not a vet, I need help. After placing the fox gently on the kitchen floor, in case she became conscious she found her phone and looked up the number of the RSPCA, they would be able to take the fox family away and look after them. After pressing several minutes of pressing different options Jane found herself speaking to someone who agreed they would send a van out and bring the fox family into the centre where they can be looked after. However, because of the location it was unlikely they would be there very soon, or evening tonight, it might be morning before they arrived. Jane resigned herself to sitting up all night waiting. She sat in the lounge with the door open, and a blanket around her shoulders listening to the mewing cubs and keeping an eye on their mother, this was just like being at work she thought. The sky was just starting to show the light of dawn when she was aware of headlights and the sound of a van coming down the lane. After all the explanation, of what she had found and the treatment she had given the fox, and a very tricky excavation of the foxes den, the mother fox and her four cubs were taken safely in the van by the kindly RSCPA workers to the safety of their centre and expertise of their vets. Jane breathed a sigh of relief as she watched them drive away and closing the doors she made herself a cup of tea and stood looking out the window. So much for relaxing she thought, I am going to be wasting some of this day but I need to sleep. She went upstairs and lay down on the lovely soft bed without even changing her clothes and was asleep in moments.

When she awoke the sun was high in the sky. Jane looked at her watch and it was just after two o’clock. Ok I knew it would be late but I needed that sleep, she thought. After a leisurely shower, she prepared herself a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee and took them outside to the table. It was a lovely day again but as she sat enjoying her brunch she heard loud noises coming from the field at the back of the house.

These were animal noises, loud mooing noises. She got up and walked to the side of the house where she was confronted with a row of large cow faces all leaning over her hedge and mooing nosily. As she watched trying to work out what it was that had attracted them, the noise was added to by yelling coming from a tractor and the farmer came up behind them to move them on. Jane decided she had had enough of this noise and it was time to go for a walk. She had looked up the map and knew there was a footpath a couple of miles down the lane which led to a woodland walk, she would take that. Having put on her walking shoes she set out down the lane, glad to be putting some distance between herself and the noisy cow farmer. She had only gone about a mile when she became aware of a lot of bleating noises She looked on the fields on both sides but could not see any sheep, then just as she rounded a bend she was met with a mass of sheep moving towards, taking up the whole of the lane, being driven by a farmer on a tractor and a collie dog running anxiously behind them from left and right. Jane cold see no way out of this situation, they were coming straight at her and there was nowhere to go. The farmer was shouting at her and gesticulating; Go back, go back! So she turned and ran back up the hill until she found a gateway to a field, she could stand back here until they passed. As she stood there panting she realised there was another man coming round to the front of the sheep and the farmer was shouting “No not there move away” then she realised they were herding the sheep into that field, so she quickly moved away from the gate just as the other man ran over to open it and started to herd the sheep in. After watching these proceedings until they were all safely in the field and the gate closed Jane decided she would not bother walking anymore today, she had exercised enough.

Later in the cottage Jane had made herself a nice meal and was sitting in the lounge with the door closed and her book on her lap, feeling relaxed for the first time that day, when she hear engine noises again. Looking out of the French window she could see a convoy of caravans coming down the hill. “What on earth can they be doing” she thought. It wasn’t long before she found out. The first car stopped a short way past the driveway of the cottage. She stood up to witness the driver open the gate to the field right in front of her, take off its hinges and throw it under the hedge and then return to his car and tow his caravan into the field. Jane watched as fifteen cars and caravans proceeded to enter the field and set up their accommodation. The noise of engines and shouting instructions to each other continued as Jane retreated inside shutting the door behind her and closed the curtains. She tried putting on the television to drown out the noise, but there was nothing on that really interested her, so she retreated to the bedroom to read her book.

Just as she was about to close the bedroom curtains she heard angry voices and saw the sheep farmer she had seen earlier, shouting and arguing with several of the men, then to her horror she saw the farmer struck on the head by one of the gypsies and he fell down. Her first instinct was to run out to him, but she thought better of it. I will call for help and she rang the police, Unable to tear herself away from the scene being played out in front of her she felt it was agonisingly time before the blue lights and sirens made their appearance in the lane. There was more shouting and arguing and the farmer was taken away by an ambulance, then there was a knock at the front door. A policewoman wanted to ask her about what she had witnessed before she had rung them. Having taken the statement she told her that these were gypsies who just decide where they will set up camp and there is little that can be done to have them removed, without a lengthy legal process, so she advised Jane in the meantime to keep her windows and doors locked at all times for safety.

After she had seen the last police car disappear up the lane Jane felt suddenly vulnerable in this little cottage. Having locked the doors and checked all the windows, she turned off all the lights and curled up in bed, unable to sleep for listening to the noises in the field. So much for peace and quiet, she resolved to leave as soon as it was light. She did manage a short sleep but awake to see the sun coming up and flooding the gypsy camp with light, there was no movement over there so she decided this was a good time to go. Having packed her bag and tidied the kitchen she slipped out the front door, locked it behind her, stowing the key in the key safe and securing it. Once she was in her car and safely up the lane she could feel the anxiety starting to leave her, but the tiredness was still there, she would need to get a coffee and soon or she would be nodding off at the wheel. Before long she came across a garage with a Costa Coffee sign and pulled in. As she sat with her coffee and a bacon roll she checked her phone to see where the RSPCA was and found it wasn’t too far away, now she would take her time with her breakfast and then go and visit them after 9 am, she didn’t want to be too early. The receptionist at the animal centre was bright and cheerful and thanked Jane for bringing the fox family in. She took her through to the pen they were being kept in and she was relieved to see the mother fox sitting up and licking her cubs. The girl that had attended to them told Jane that the mother had recovered well from her ordeal and although concussed there was no evidence of any internal injuries and the cuts had healed well, thanks to Jane’s quick action. They would be kept at the centre and then released into the wild as a family again.

Jane left there feeling very relieved and happy in the knowledge that she had been there at the right moment to be able to help the fox, but as for the weekend of relaxation? Well that would have to be another time, today she would go back to her own house and get some sleep before she had to report for another shift n the morning.

Louise – If I Could Go Back

If I had the power to go back home and back to that house at the end of the block ….

The house that was home when I was a kid, I know that I would love it more than I did.

If I could be back there at my mum’s knee and hear her once again all the things she told me.

I’d listen as I never listened before for she knew so well what life had in store for me and all the advice she used her voice to give me

I’ll remember her as long as I live but it didn’t seem important then…. What I’d give just to live it over again.

What I’d give for the chance I once had to do so much more for my mother – to give her more joy a little less pain, more sunshine and a little less rain.

As the years roll on we cannot go back whether we were born in a mansion or a flat

But we can start right now …… in the hour that’s here to do something more for ones we hold dear.

Anne Blind Panic 1912 Great Glen Disaster

Have you heard the saying there’s no smoke without fire? Wrong!

James Hattrick was a lovely boy of 7 with brown hair and brown eyes. He was delighted to get a football from Santa on Xmas day 1911 as he was like every other boy football daft. As he was an only child he would go out and play with his school friends and neighbours whenever possible.

A week later it was Hogmanay and James’s mum was doing the cleaning of the two room and kitchen tenement house in Caledonia Street where they stayed, just the 3 of them. All housewives in those days cleaned on Hogmanay from top to bottom of the house as it was bad luck to bring in the New Year with a speck of dust and everything had to be shinning bright as a new pin. To keep James from under her feet Mrs H had given James 6d to go to the cinema or pictures as it was called then with some of his friends because it was so cold outside. Charlie Chaplin was showing in the Glen Cinema that day but the new football was still the favourite thing to play with as the race course was so near and therefore James went to play football with 3 of his pals. You didn’t feel the cold when you played football and you imagined you were a St. Mirren star player. Oh how James loved playing the game.

At around 5 o’clock which was later than the boys had ever stayed out in the cold weather they all made for home. James saw his mother standing at the mouth of the close with 2 other mums wiping their eyes. On seeing young James she rushed up to him saying softly “Oh my baby boy I can’t believe you are safe and didn’t go to the pictures then.” “No mum I wanted to play football” James said. His mother clasped him tightly to her as if she would never let him go, tears of happiness running down her face. James was not sure what all the fuss was about and couldn’t understand this strange reaction.

It had not taken long for the people of Paisley to find out about the Glen Cinema Disaster where 69 children had perished and 40 more badly injured. Yes word had spread like wildfire about the tragedy. The projector in the cinema had started to smoke and somebody had seen it and shouted fire. Everyone panicked and made for the door and all the small children were either crushed underfoot or through smoke inhalation collapsed and been trampled to death. Men outside had climbed up the one story building and smashed and opened the windows pulling out some lucky ones to safety. However unfortunately not enough children made it to safety.

Years later many parents would tell their children about the tragedy and warn them never to panic in a fire. James went on to meet a lovely girl Helen and got married and had two lovely daughters Janette and Elspeth. He always thanked the good Lord that he had played football at the race course that Hogmanay afternoon. It’s a pity the Council took 80 years to build a memorial stone at Dunn Square with all the children’s names that perished in the Glen cinema.