UK: SCOTLAND: DUNBLANE SCHOOL MASSACRE: FLORAL TRIBUTES

Описание: (16 Mar 1996) English/Nat

Extra flowers have been shipped in from around Scotland to Dunblane to cope with the huge demand for floral tributes for the victims of Wednesday's horrific massacre.

The community is still in deep mourning for the 16 children and their teacher who were killed by a crazed gunman who went on a shooting rampage in Dunblane Primary School.

What started as a trickle of bouquets has grown to a flood.

Against the stone wall which links the entrances to the school where Thomas Hamilton went on his murderous rampage lie piles upon piles of bouquets.

On Saturday, extra flowers were shipped into Dunblane from Glasgow to add to the sea of tributes.

More than 500 stuffed animals which arrived as tributes have been displayed in the school's main entrance, brought indoors from the icy weather and rain.

SOUNDBITE:
"What you see here is an expression of the children's grief - not only here in Dunblane but throughout the UK and elsewhere - and I feel that I have a responsibility to these children to ensure that their grief as expressed and as you see before you is not allowed to lie outside and destroyed in the weather, but to be placed here in the dryness and the heat of the school so that the headmaster and his staff when they have the opportunity can look at this and make a decision about what they are going to do with all of these toys that the children have laid both outside and presented to the police caravan."
SUPER CAPTION: Police Chief Superintendent George Matchett

The tributes have come from around the world - as far away as the United States, New Zealand and Australia.

SOUNDBITE:
"Most of the messages are in the children's own handwriting and it takes a very strong heart to read through these things as we have done and try to retain your decorum and your professionalism. It is a challenge that I hope I never see again."
SUPER CAPTION: Police Chief Superintendent George Matchett

People have come from around Scotland to offer their respects and condolences to the stunned and shocked community.

SOUNDBITE:
"I think its only natural but I'd imagine that people that live here would just be happy to wait until everybody goes away and then get on with things and put it behind them."
SUPER CAPTION: Brian Houston

SOUNDBITE:
"We just wanted to pay our respects, just say a little prayer for the kids, you know when you're parents ourselves and just can't imagine what the kids' parents are like, I just can't."
SUPER CAPTION: Stephen Hendry

A minute's silence will be held throughout Britain on Sunday at 0930, exactly four days after the killing took place.

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