Love in a far away land

SAVE THE CHILDREN

A plaque outside a school in Pujehun, Sierra Leone, bears Lilian Dent’s name – a fine tribute to a remarkable woman, thousands of miles her from homeland.

A free thinker, adventurous traveller and – impressive for a woman at the time – rally driver, Lilian believed every child has the right to learn.

After her marriage, she travelled to Sierra Leone with her new husband Jimmy, an agricultural research expert. Lilian taught first in Bo and then later in Freetown. Jimmy became Sierra Leone’s director of agriculture. The couple stayed until independence in 1961, before making their home in Gatehouse-of-fleet in Dumfries and Galloway.

When the Lockerbie disaster occurred close to her home, Lilian was heavily involved in the clean-up operation, earning an MBE in recognition of her efforts.

Sierra Leone made a life-long impact on Lilian, according to her nephew, James. When she died in 2018 aged 89, her Will specified the bulk of her estate should support Save the Children’s work in the country.

James says: “Lilian did not have children of her own, she ‘adopted’ other people’s children. She had a love for Sierra Leone and, given her involvement with children, it was natural that she should want to give what she could.”

The plaque at the Pujehun school, pictured below, was erected by Save The

Children in recognition of Lillian’s generous bequest.

The charity supports children in more than

115 countries, including here in Scotland, where the charity’s Families Connect and Children’s Places programmes encourage and promote the benefits of learning and play at home for children.

The charity also campaigns to reduce poverty and increase family incomes here and around the world. Last year it helped 44.9 million children, improving health, education and hunger, and has recently responded to emergencies in Haiti and Afghanistan.