Freedom of the City for Mary

Mary Clarke was posthumously awarded the freedom of the city of Brighton and Hove at a special council meeting at Hove Town on  Thursday 14 December 2023. This followed a wonderful Reception for trustees of the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal and supporters, hosted by the Mayor Jackie O’Quinn. Briony Goulden, Mary’s great-great-niece, and a trustee of the Appeal, accepted the honour, assisted by her daughters…

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…

Youth Ambassadors (14) Make A Birthday Gift to Mary

Once again our Youth Ambassadors have made us very proud. Twins Izzie and Sophia Kilburn, our ‘oldest’ of our young Ambassadors, at just 14 years old, have reprised their feat of last year when, instead of receiving birthday presents,  they arranged for friends and family to donate to the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal. This year they have done the same, raising a wonderful £130 for our…

The Forgotten Sister – A Talk 11.00am on 26 November 2022

There will be a very informal talk about Mary Clarke on Saturday 26th November at 11.00am, on the ground floor of the Jubilee Library in Brighton, entitled “The Forgotten Sister”. It will be led by our Chair of Trustees Jean Calder and will be followed by discussion. The staff at the Jubilee Library invited us to help mark the United Nation’s annual  International Day for…

Mary Cakes’ Launched at Balfour School Summer Fair

Balfour Primary School’s Summer Fair, on July 16, was the setting for our first school stall and cake sale. Organised by the Mary’s Lamp group of Year 4 girls, it raised more than £60 in aid of the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal, selling ‘Mary Cakes’, our version of traditional fairy cakes.  The Mary’s Lamp girls’ group was set up by River Isaac, our first Child…

ITV News Coverage of Junior Ambassadors campaign for Mary and Blue Plaques

Thank you to ITV Meridian News and Charlotte Wilkins for their coverage this weekend of the wonderful fundraising efforts of Izzy and Sophia Kilburn, our most recently appointed Junior Ambassadors. If you haven’t already seen it, please take a moment to watch the film. You can find the link below. As we reported earlier, the twins have been fundraising to erect blue plaques in Brighton, to…

Birthdays, Breakfast Cereals and Women Who Shredded the Rulebook

Twins Izzy and Sophia Kilburn are our two most recent Child Ambassadors. They recently celebrated their 13th birthday and very generously, asked family and friends to consider a donation to the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal instead of birthday presents. They raised a hugely impressive £95. We are so grateful to the girls and their parents and hope they had a wonderful birthday. The twins are,…

Concert for Mary Clarke Statue Raises £4,500

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…

Liane Carroll & Claire Martin – Double Standards An evening of jazz and joy in support of the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal

Tickets are now on sale via Eventbrite for our 4th March benefit concert. Double Standards – an evening of jazz and joy! will include songs by Waits, Mitchell and Bennett skilfully mixed with stylish re-workings of lesser known classics and new original material. Join these two friends for some seriously swinging music. Not to be missed! Support from members of Siren and Women of Note. This…

Mary Clarke Statue Appeal