"Tumbling Lassie" charity ball raises £13,000
The Tumbling Lassie Ball, a charity event organised by a group of advocates in honour of the central character in a 17th century court case, has raised a total of £13,000 in aid of charities supporting victims of human trafficking.
Charities TARA and the International Justice Mission (IJM), which tackle human trafficking at home and abroad, are the two bodies that will benefit from the ball, held in Edinburgh's Sheraton Hotel on 10 October.
The event was the brainchild of Alan McLean QC, who became fascinated by the 1687 Court of Session decision of Reid v Scot of Harden and his Lady, in which a travelling showman demanded damages from a couple who had given refuge to the “tumbling lassie”, a girl he had forced to work as a performing gymnast. Judges refused to uphold his claim that he had “bought” the girl from her mother.
Mr McLean said: “We have been inspired by the level of support we have had from within the legal profession and from those outside it – we are delighted to have been involved in raising this much money for these worthy causes.”
The ball was preceded the same day by a seminar which examined the history of the law on slavery and people trafficking, through to the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill, passed by the Scottish Parliament earlier this month.
Bronagh Andrew of TARA commented: “Community Safety Glasgow’s TARA Service were delighted to be invited to speak at the seminar and celebrate the recent passing of the bill at the Tumbling Lassie Ball. The seminar brought home to us the parallels with historical enslavement and the similarities in the experiences of survivors across the world.”
She added: “The Tumbling Lassie Committee’s passion and commitment to combat human trafficking and uphold universal human rights has assisted in raising awareness of the issue across Scotland. The opportunities to enhance the work of the TARA team through their fundraising activities will bring real change to the lives of the women we support.”