Nil by Mouth (charity)

Nil By Mouth is a Scottish charity, established in 2000, which seeks to challenge sectarianism within Scottish Society.

Nil By Mouth was founded as a campaign by Cara Henderson in response to the sectarian murder of her school friend, Mark Scott. Nil By Mouth's purpose is to promote the elimination of Sectarian attitudes and behaviours in Scotland with a view to the advancement of greater understanding and respect.

Nil By Mouth currently delivers inputs to schools, colleges and workplaces on issues surrounding sectarianism, including sectarian language and online hatred. The charity also appears regularly in the media to provide informed comment and analysis of incidents, policy decisions and to promote their own campaigns.

Background

Teenager Mark Scott was murdered as he made his way home from a football match in Glasgow on 7 October 1995. He did not know the attacker, Jason Campbell. During Campbell's murder trial, it was revealed that one of the motives for his attack was Scott's perceived religious background based on the colour of his football scarf. Cara Henderson was a friend of Scott's who was 15 at the time. Four years later, in 1999, she began the process of establishing a campaign against sectarian hatred in Scotland.

Henderson began campaigning in the media, telling her story at community events and lobbying politicians and policymakers. She launched a Charter for Change in 2000, which outlined Nil By Mouth's vision for challenging sectarian attitudes in Scotland. She won a Philip Lawrence Award for her work in empowering young people. She is no longer actively involved in the organisation but remains an honorary patron of the charity.

In 2015, Henderson was named Evening Times Scotswoman of The Year for 2014.

External links

• Official website