Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money. Our trustees have argued for many years that CIL funding could be used for public art and commemoration here in Brighton. Now this decision has been made, Denise Dutton the sculptor is finally able to schedule the work she needs to do to make and cast in bronze the maquette she designed.

It will take many months, perhaps close to a year, to erect

the statue. And there is more fundraising to do to pay for the excavation, stonework and installation and celebrate its unveiling. However, we know now that our city will have the statue of Mary Clarke in New Road opposite the entrance to the Theatre Royal, by 2028, the Centenary of all women in Britain obtaining the Vote.

Chair of Trustees Jean Calder said:

“This is wonderful news. We are so grateful to the City Council, especially Cllrs Bella Sankey and Jacob Taylor who have pushed so hard for this. Also to Ward councillors Ellen McLeay and Sue Shanks and many others, like Cllr Alan Robins, who over the years have

argued for this statue. This includes some who have left the council such as Tony Janio and Dan Yates and others, like Mary Mears, who have sadly died without seeing it come to fruition.”

“This £35,000 will almost exactly ‘match fund’ the cash we have raised over the years from many, many hundreds of

individual donors. Denise Dutton, our wonderful sculptor has completed the design and made a bronze maquette which is displayed in the Foyer to the Jubilee Library. She

can now schedule work on the statue itself. The charity hopes the statue will be in place in 2027, well before the 2028 Centenary.”

“Fundraising will continue to meet the additional costs of erecting the statue and the unveiling, which is likely to be huge event. Thereafter we hope to further develop our educational work inspired by Mary’s legacy.”

“We are proud of what Mary represents as a survivor of domestic abuse and a campaigner of enormous courage, one prepared to lay down her life for democracy, equality and, above all, women’s rights. We know her statue will be an inspiration to the city and its many visitors from around the world.”

We are delighted to report that the application has been agreed, very appropriately on 26 February just before International Women’s Day on 8th March. There was a great deal of public interest in the application and many letters of support and we are so grateful for that. See the comments at https://planningapps.brighton-hove.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=T6QV3XDM0K500

In particular we have been very thankful for the support of local business people who are eager to be part of this historic road’s regeneration. Also for the support of councillors, local members of parliament and numerous council officers who have worked with great professionalism to help. We thank them for their understanding.

This is an accessible site close to the historic buildings where so many suffrage meetings were held and in sight of the Royal Pavilion, which hosted many suffragette meetings including Mary’s own memorial meeting after her death. We chose the site following advice from Brighton & Hove

City Council Heritage Planners and Highways Engineers and discussion with Cllr Jacob Taylor, as well as further consultation with key local trusts and businesses. We are very grateful to them all.

We recognise that there were two or three objections to our application, mostly focussed on road safety and fear of vandalism. We understand these concerns. We are well aware there have been problems of anti-social behaviour in this road and also unsafe movement of traffic – often through the area designated for street furniture, where this statue would be sited. However, we are confident there are effective ways to address these challenges. 

We are committed to continuing to work with the City Council and local businesses to find solutions to any problems. In commons with the many individuals and institutions that supported us, we firmly believe that the statue will play a crucial role in ongoing plans to both regenerate the road and make it safe. 

In her comments on the application, local Ward Councillor Ellen McLeay, stressed the links between commemorating Mary – who was a survivor of domestic abuse as well as a victim of state violence – and Council policy. Ellen McLeay wrote:

“The ethos behind this statue aligns with commitments

already made by Brighton & Hove City Council to support women and girls. This includes the ambition to become the UK capital of women and girls’ sport and BHCC’s work to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) by 50% over the next decade. At a time when women’s rights are being undermined in many parts of the world, commemorating the struggle that secured women the vote in the UK feels especially important.”

“With a female-led council, including both the Leader and the Chief Executive, this statue reflects the democratic principles at the heart of our city. It represents the 50% whose voices went unheard for far too long.”

The Appeal still needs to raise a further £35,000, but we can write about that another day. 

For now all we want to do is to say thank you to everyone. Thank you so much.

Jean Calder, Chair of Trustees

walked around the city and almost everywhere I have gone I’ve remembered Valerie there.

Valerie was a community activist of extraordinary commitment and belonged to a huge number of local groups. In Brighton & Hove it’s hard to meet anyone who did not know her. 

She was well known as a welfare rights adviser, a student organiser,  a peace campaigner and a health activist. In my mind’s eye I can see her now: teaching English in the Jubilee Library; setting the world to rights with friends in the Italian cafe; leafleting with peace campaigners on the Old Steine; demonstrating for the NHS in front of the County Hospital; running a stall in Brunswick Square; attending a meeting at the Unemployed Centre; jumping up to ask awkward questions in the Friends Centre; or pitching up at the Regency Town House for a meeting of the Women’s History Group with purple hair and a huge mischievous grin. I remember her as I saw her last, on a

sunny September Saturday, helping us petition for the Mary Clarke Statue in the Pavilion Gardens. Nothing could stop her, until cancer did.

She was a founder member of the Brighton & Hove Women’s History Group and one of its most avid campaigners for suffragette plaques.

She was there at the Brighton Centre on 18th November 2018 when we launched the campaign to get a statue for Mary Clarke. She was one of the Appeal’s most committed supporters. 

I knew her best as a campaigner for women’s rights and I suspect this is what mattered most to her. She was passionate about the need to commemorate women and celebrate their achievements. Like Mary Clarke, Valerie was a ‘late developer’, attending university as a mature student with huge success. Like her great friend, the local historian Val Brown, she was horrified by the loss of women’s history. That was why she campaigned so hard for blue plaques for women, especially for local suffragettes.

I remember once complaining to her that so many

obituaries are written for men and so few by and for women. She agreed and we joked that we should set up a group so we could all write our own.

We never did, but there’s no need for dear Valerie. We will not forget her. 

Jean Calder (19/10/2025)

Please also see an article about Valerie written with her input on 1st May 2024 for the Argus by Andy Winter, who is one of our Trustees.

Valerie Mainstone: a campaigner who remains a true colossus

11th October at the Brighton Centre, attended by 2,400 women.  As a direct result we raised over £1250 in individual donations. We are so grateful to FiLiA for the platform it gave us.

Our Chair Jean Calder was invite to speak for 10 minutes in the opening session, just after Katy Bourne, Sussex

Police and Crime Commissioner, who opened the conference, followed by Jenny Stroud and Sue Delafons of the wonderful Brighton & Hove Women’s History Group.

Jean Calder said: “It was nerve-wracking speaking to such a huge audience, but it seemed to go well. There was a great deal of interest at our stall from women from all over the country – and the world. We spoke to women from from Devon to Corby and the north of Scotland, and from Australia to Canada and the DR Congo. Mary’s story fascinated them. Several said they were moved to tears by her courage and the fact she’d been forgotten. We believe the statue will be a huge draw to international visitors. Several promised they would come back to see it.”

FiLiA is a charity operating across many countries which campaigns, it says, “for a world free from patriarchy where all women and girls are liberated.” The people attending the conference heard from 250 speakers from around the world. In a series of talks and workshops, there was discussion of a range of topics affecting women – from maternity rights and birth defects due to industrial pollution, through to rape in war and all forms of sexual and domestic violence (or as some speakers called it ‘state-torture’ and ‘non-state torture’). The primary focus was on how to combat violence against women and girls.

In that regard, it was disappointing to witness each morning aggressive noisy protesters hurling abuse at the women going in to the Centre. They did not succeed in disrupting the conference and thanks are due for this to FiLiA personnel, Brighton Centre staff and officers of Sussex Police.

We are very grateful to FiLiA. Its remarkable work largely relies on the work of volunteers.  We know how difficult that can be, especially in such challenging times.

Our thanks are due to Amelia Hill, Senior Reporter at The Guardian, who this weekend on 21 June 2025, published a substantial article about Mary Clarke and our appeal for a statue.

The article was published online and in print, where it took up almost a whole page, with many photographs attached. The primary focus of the piece was our  struggle for funds. Many donations have followed and are still coming in. We are so grateful to Amelia and fellow journalist Susanna Rustin, who put us in touch with her.

We desperately need to increase donations if we are to have any chance of unveiling the statue in good time for the 2028 centenary of all women getting the Vote. We call on supporters to raise awareness amongst their friends and colleagues – and also to let us know of individuals, businesses, trade unions, professional bodies or community or faith organisations that could help us.

statue, when it is made, should be situated in the Gardens of the Royal Pavilion, near the entrance of the Museum and its modern education block. We wanted a safe site where school parties, families and tourist groups could gather, absorb information, listen to tour guides and pose for photographs, before entering the Museum itself.

On behalf of the trustees I now need to inform supporters that, after much soul searching, we have decided to give up the idea of placing the proposed statue of Mary in the Pavilion Gardens. As you may know, this proposal had very widespread community and political support. However, it was resolutely opposed by the trustees of the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust, who were and are anxious to safeguard the Regency design of the gardens. We hoped the trustees might change their position once their multi-phased Heritage Lottery grant was secured, but this did not prove to be the case.

We have come to the conclusion that even if planning permission were to be granted for the site, we could be subject to challenges and delays. We fear that uncertainty about the site may already have negatively affected our funding bids. We do want to ensure that the statue is funded and unveiled ideally next year and certainly in good time for the 2028 centenary of all women achieving the Vote.

We have been in discussions with the City Council and other

bodies and now propose to submit a planning application to place the statue in New Road, just outside the Pavilion Gardens, directly opposite the entrance to the Theatre Royal. Sophie Denney, the Theatre Director has kindly given her support.  Brighton & Hove City Council continues to give us all-party support, which is wonderful. The Dome and Festival Trust are supportive of this proposal, as is The Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust. Nevertheless, we are aware that our decision will disappoint some supporters.

We are grateful to the Jubilee Library for agreeing to display

our bronze maquette, made to the design of the proposed statue, in the foyer cabinet, where it is seen by many people.

Fundraising continues to be a challenge, having been affected first by Covid and then by the cost of living crisis. We have £20,000 of the £60,000 we need to commission the statue, but are struggling to raise the final £40,000. We are exploring every option for funding that we can, from CIL and Section 106 money (via the City Council and local developers) to approaching businesses and trusts.

Unfortunately our bids to for Heritage Lottery and Arts Council funding failed. Both bodies expressed real interest in our community and schools work, but seemed reluctant to fund a statue.

We now hope that greater certainty about the new proposed site (along with  recent endorsements) may make our bids more attractive to heritage and arts trusts – and possibly local businesses, though we know many are struggling. We believe that if we can raise our bank balance to at least £40,000 we will be able to launch a final crowd funding appeal.

As always we would be grateful if supporters could suggest any local businesses, trusts or individuals who might be interested and able to help.

We would also welcome new volunteers, especially any able

to help staff  information and fundraising stalls at the Open Market, fairs and community events. If you can hand out leaflets, get signatures on a petition or shake a collection tin – or use your car (if you have one) to move equipment – we need you. Do get in touch at jeancalder.mcsa@gmail.com.

celebrate their fiftieth birthdays this year and generously asked friends to donate to the Appeal instead of giving them birthday presents.

We rely completely upon our wonderful volunteers, the youngest of whom is eight and the oldest over eighty. They all do what they can to support the charity and honour Mary’s life.

None are more reliable than the Kilburn family. Twins Izzie and Sophia Kilburn are seasoned campaigners and Youth Ambassadors for the Appeal. Actively supported by their parents, the twins have fundraised many, many hundreds of pounds for the statue. Twice, instead of receiving birthday presents, they have invited friends and family to donate to the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal. 

Now the twins’ mother and father, Vicky and Chris, have done the same. We are so grateful to them and also the many friends and family members who donated and left encouraging messages thanking Chris and Vicky and  strongly supporting the campaign. 

Thank you again to the Kilburn family.

Our Green Patron, Caroline Lucas has recently stood down from her service as a member of Parliament. We thank her for her devoted service to our city and wish her a very happy retirement.

We know our Patrons will defend the rights of women and girls, inspired in part by Mary Clarke and the long struggle of the suffragist movement – as well as similar movements for democracy and civil rights. We hope all candidates will do the same.

Note that the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal has cross party support and no party-political affiliation.

This was arranged by the Mayor with the Appeal trustees, who wanted to thank the girls for their support. None of the girls were  able to attend on 12 December when Mary Clarke was posthumously awarded the Freedom of the City of Brighton & Hove.

Seven young volunteers from Balfour Primary School and two from Brighton College were addressed by the Mayor in the historic Brighton Council Chamber, along with family members and teachers, who included the Head and Deputy head of Balfour Primary School. The Mayor, wearing her Robes and Chains of Office, thanked the girls for their work on behalf of the city, while Jean Calder, Chair of the Appeal, added her appreciation on behalf of the trustees.

On behalf of the Appeal, the Mayor then awarded a certificate to each of the young volunteers.

The Mayor then gave an inspiring presentation about civic life, explaining what she does as councillor and Mayor and also encouraging the girls to think about civic leadership. The Mayor’s Mace Bearer, bodyguard and driver Robbie Robertson then delivered a fascinating talk about the historic chamber itself, explaining the symbolism of the decoration and design, both of the council chamber and the historic gold mace, which he allowed each girl to hold.

He highlighted the names of significant Mayors, such as Dorthy Stringer, realising that, later this year, many of the girls will be moving to the local school that bears her name. Robbie also highlighted the name of Mayor Stanford who was in post at the time Mary Clarke died in 1910.

The girls, their parents and teachers and the trustees and patrons of the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal were then invited to  tea and cakes in the Mayor’s Parlour.

Our young volunteers were warmly praised by both the Mayor and Jean Calder for the educational work they had undertaken and their fundraising activities. Also for their ability to make links between Mary’s work for equality and the circumstances of their own lives and those of other  – for example, by challenging attitudes to girls’ sport in their own schools, asking questions of the City Council about women’s rights and highlighting discrimination against girls in Afghanistan.

The audience heard about the “Mary’s Lamp” girls’ group at

Balfour Primary School, set up by then 9 year old River Isaac (the Statue Appeal’s first Child Ambassador). The group   prepared power point presentations about Mary Clarke for school assemblies; organised cake sales and games on school stalls;  leafleted; sold orange ribbons in November for the U.N. 16 Days Against Violence Against Women and Girls and made substantial donations to the Statue Appeal as well as additional donations to the Malala Fund UK, all supported by the school and Appeal trustees.

The audience also heard about Sophia and Isabel Kilburn from Brighton College (also Young Ambassadors for the Appeal) who fundraised so successfully for a blue plaque in Brighton for pioneering woman lawyer Helena Normanton, that they were able to make a substantial donation to the Mary Clarke Appeal from what was left over. The girls also encouraged family and friends to make donations to the Appeal instead of birthday presents. They are currently campaigning to erect another plaque in Brighton, this time to pioneering woman doctor Sophia Jex-Blake.

The Mary Clarke Statue Appeal expressed its grateful thanks

to all the girls and encouraged them to stay involved in the campaign. It also expressed heart felt thanks to parents and teachers from Balfour School who have supported the girls.

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