Mitchie Alexander’s Poem for Mary Clarke

This powerful and moving poem was written by Cllr Mitchie Alexander and read by her at a special meeting of Brighton & Hove City Council on 14th December 2022. She read it in support of the motion to posthumously award Mary the Freedom of the City.  Mary Clarke 1862-1910 The First Suffragette to die for the cause “I wear my purple sleeves with pride, You…

Invitation to Award of Freedom of the City on 14 December

  Mary Clarke is to be honoured by the posthumous award of the Freedom of the City, a wonderful tribute. The award is to be made at a special  meeting of Brighton & Hove City Council at 3.30pm on Thursday 14 December at Hove Town Hall. Mary Clarke Statue Appeal Trustee Briony Goulden, and her two daughters Sophie and Lena, will receive the award on…

Freedom of the City for Mary Clarke?

Brighton & Hove News reports that Brighton & Hove City Council is to discuss a proposal to give Mary Clarke the Freedom of the City (see below). The Chair of Trustees of the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal Jean Calder said: “This wonderful news. It is unusual for such an award to be considered for someone who is no longer alive, but it is an honour…

A Minute’s Silence at City Council Meeting with Mary’s Lamp

The Statue Appeal’s primary focus is to fundraise for the statue of Mary Clarke and following the difficulties posed by COVID and lockdown, we plan to redouble our efforts to raise the £35,000 we still need. However, the Appeal’s purposes are broader than just the achievement of a statue.  An important aspect of our purpose has always been to use the commemoration of Mary’s life as…

Council Passes Notice of Motion supporting the Statue

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…

Mary Clarke Statue Appeal