On Tuesday 23rd June 2020, on a lovely sunny day as lock-down was just beginning to ease, the new Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Councillor Alan Robins, in full mayoral robes, visited us at the Royal Pavilion Gardens near the entrance to the Museum. He was there to show his support for the proposed statue for Mary Clarke and was accompanied by the Mayoral Consort…
Introductory Note from Jean Calder This was the text of the Oration delivered at Mary Clarke’s Memorial meeting in Brighton. It is a heart-rending speech, made by Emmeline Pethick Lawrence, a woman who knew Mary well and who, with Emmeline Pankhurst, was one of the outstanding leaders of the suffrage movement. It identifies Mary as an influential and well-loved leader of the movement, while conveying anger,…
We are thrilled that Elizabeth Crawford, probably the best known British historian of the Suffrage Movement, has agreed to be one of our Patrons. She joins eminent Professor June Purvis, who is an expert on the history of the Pankhursts and wrote acclaimed biographiesof Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. Elizabeth Crawford is an historian and a dealer in books and ephemera by and about women. Her…
On 4th March, internationally-acclaimed jazz singers Claire Martin and Liane Carroll gave their much-anticipated concert at St George’s Church in aid of the Appeal. The concert was hosted in sparkling style by comedian Zoe Lyons and the hugely effective appeal for donations was made by broadcaster Simon Fanshawe, one of our Patrons. After all expenses had been met, the event raised £4,500. Cllr Alex Phillips, Mayor of Brighton…
Brighton-based comedian Zoe Lyons has agreed to act as MC on 4th March at our benefit concert “Double Standards”. Like our great singers, Claire Martin and Liane Carroll, she is in huge demand. We are so grateful she is making the time to be there and proud to have her support for the statue of Mary Clarke. Zoe took her first steps down the comedy…
Our chosen sculptor, Denise Dutton, has begun the early painstaking stages of her work. This will result in a small exact bronze model of what will eventually become the statue. Denise has been researching the clothing women of Mary Clarke’s time would have worn. She is already knowledgeable, because she sculpted the statue of suffragette Annie Kenney in Oldham. She has been working with an…
We are very grateful to Independent Councillor Tony Janio of Brighton & Hove City Council. Tony took a Notice of Motion supporting our appeal to the Brighton & Hove Council meeting of 30th January 2020. It gained all-party support, was seconded by Labour Councillor Amanda Grimshaw and was passed unanimously. We are so grateful to the councillors for their support and are sure this will…
Great news. Broadcaster, writer and activist Simon Fanshawe has agreed to join the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal’s group of Patrons. He has already proved himself worth his weight in gold by putting us in touch with Comedian Zoe Lyons and some other famous folk. There’s even a possibility Zoe Lyons may MC our benefit concert on the 4th March at St George’s Church. But more…
Jude Winter, Debs Trethewey & Emilia Ballardini (@ballardinix) from feminist post-punk band Siren (@sirenbrighton) met this weekend to record Jude’s new “Song for Mary”, a tribute to Mary Clarke. It will go public on 12th December, which is General Election Day – and also Mary’s birthday. She was born in 1861. We think it is fitting that this tribute song should be launched on Election Day…
Mary Clarke was the first suffragette to give her life for women’s right to Vote but, there is no public memorial to her anywhere in the UK. Brighton, where she lived and worked, has few memorials for women and no statues other than of Queen Victoria. The Mary Clarke Statue Appeal was set up in late 2018 to fund a statue of Mary Clarke, as…