Children’s charity will salute Speyside roots on special anniversary

Scotland’s biggest children’s charity will return to its Speyside roots to mark a special anniversary.

Aberlour, named after the town where its work began, will soon have spent 150 years caring for Scotland’s most disadvantaged children.

The charity has supported thousands of young Scots and their families since the Reverend Charles Jupp opened an orphanage in the Moray town in 1875.

To mark the anniversary next year, Aberlour will hail his far-sighted vision.

Over the next century and a half, his determination to protect and improve the lives of children would lead to the creation of one of Scotland’s most respected charities delivering care and support for thousands of young Scots.

SallyAnn Kelly, Aberlour’s chief executive, believes next year’s anniversary is an opportunity to salute the charity’s founders, the children it has cared for and the town where it all began.

She said:

We might do things differently today than 150 years ago but our mission and determination to protect and care for children in need is unchanged.

“Next year will be a significant milestone for our charity.

“We have come a long way in 150 years and hope to go further but the anniversary must be an opportunity to look back as well as forward. 

“How our journey began in Aberlour led us to where we are today and will guide us into tomorrow.

“Next year is an opportunity to recognise the enduring influence of Aberlour in our charity’s past, present and future.

The charity is also, however, determined to acknowledge a darker chapter in its history during the anniversary.

In 2020, the third phase of the Scottish Child Abuse inquiry concluded children cared for at the orphanage and other homes run by Aberlour, and other charities, had suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse between 1921 and 1991.

The charity offered an unreserved apology to victims at the time but its chief executive SallyAnn Kelly promised they will be acknowledged and remembered in its anniversary year.

She said:

Our charity has much to be proud of and while our anniversary will celebrate that, it must also properly recognise the children we failed.

“It would be dishonest not to and only a clear-eyed understanding of our past will ensure we build a safe and secure future for our charity and the children we care for.

“Children who spent time at the orphanage and our other homes and staff who worked there will have many memories.

“Most, we hope, will be happy and inspiring, others may be sadder and more troubling, but this anniversary is an opportunity to remember all of them.

Generations of children were raised in the Aberlour orphanage in the first half of the last century before it was understood that residential care is better delivered in smaller houses as the charity began to build a new network of “family homes.”

The charity is already in discussion with staff and children who spent time at the orphanage while being advised by local historians on how best to mark its origins.

It is urging anyone who grew up in the orphanage or worked there to share their memories to help mark the special anniversary.

Discussions are also underway about possible events to mark the anniversary in the town, including an exhibition of photographs charting the charity’s story and a heritage tour visiting significant landmarks.

Jupp’s work, supported by heiress and philanthropist Margaret Macpherson Grant, began with just four boys being cared for in a cottage by the Lour Burn before the orphanage opened seven years later.

The orphanage, extensively rebuilt after two serious fires in the 1930s, closed in 1967 with Speyside High School being built on the site.

Did you live or work at the orphanage?  If you would like to share your memories, please email sarah.mcnaught@aberlour.org.uk