O.B.E. is a Conservative politician and has served as the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) since 2012. She was  re-elected for a fourth term in 2024. She was raised and schooled in Sussex before graduating from Aberystwyth University. She still lives in mid-Sussex, is married to Kevin and has two adult sons. She was a successful businesswoman before entering politics.

Katy’s role as PCC is to hold the Chief Constable of Sussex Police to account for the performance of the Force, working to make the police answerable to the communities they serve. Katy is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities for Sussex Police through the Police & Crime Plan, which includes setting the police budget and local police precept.

Katy also has a statutory duty to commission support services for victims of crime and to deliver community safety initiatives. She is deeply committed to improve the criminal justice response to crimes such as stalking, sexual and domestic abuse and the exploitation and abuse of elders.

Katy said:

“I am honoured to take up the role of Conservative Patron for the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal. Mary Clarke was a courageous woman who gave her life fighting for women’s right to vote. Her determination and sacrifice remind us of the importance of standing up for equality and justice, even in the face of adversity. As Police & Crime Commissioner, I have seen how far we have come in creating opportunities for women in policing and public life, but we must never forget those who paved the way. Supporting this Appeal is about recognising Mary’s message and memory and ensuring future generations understand the value of democratic rights and the courage it took to secure them. I am delighted to help champion this important cause.” 

Katy opened the recent FiLiA international women’s liberation conference at Brighton Conference Centre, with a powerful speech in support of women’s rights. We were very grateful to Katy because we were able to follow this with an appeal for support for the statue which proved very successful.  

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

We’re especially proud right now of our first Student Ambassador, Isaac Abatan. Isaac was also our first male Youth Ambassador. He has helped run fundraising events, carried heavy equipment for us, offered lifts and supported us at Brighton & Hove City Council events. Our only worry about Isaac is that he may not be a ‘student’ very much longer. 

Isaac Abatan is now a graduate. On 14 July 2025 he received his BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Loughborough University in the presence of his parents Kathy and Tunde, the former a trustee and the latter a stalwart volunteer. Isaac’s sister Isobel was also there.

Our hope now is that Isaac will undertake post graduate work, so he can carry on being a Student Ambassador.

Our warmest congratulations to Isaac and to all his family.

Caroline was one of the most hard working and conscientious politicians we ever met. Despite her prodigious work load, if we asked for her support, she would always be there, helping in whatever way she could. If she was unable to be present she would find some other way to assist. 

We understand Caroline’s decision to withdraw and wish her well in all she chooses to do next. However, we will miss her very much. We are so thankful for all she has done for us.

We are proud to announce that Caroline’s hugely experienced political colleague Baroness Jenny Jones of Moulsecoomb, has now agreed to become a Patron. There will be a further news report about Jenny.

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.

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 Sylvie and Lena. The two girls are Child Ambassadors for the Appeal.

The award was unanimously agreed by all three parties represented on the Council. Briony received the official certificate on behalf of the Mary and our Appeal. She thanked the council for its support and assistance over the years, in particular for its help in funding our bronze maquette made by sculptor Denise Dutton to the design of the proposed statue. The maquette was on display in the Council Chamber along with our embroidered banner, a poster of Mary and a seven foot cut-out of the proposed statue.

There were many moving speeches. Cllr Bella Sankey, the Labour leader of the Council and a campaigner for women’s rights and safety, moved the motion to honour Mary. She said: “It is only thanks to women like Mary that I can stand here, that women like me can enter politics and continue the fight for women’s rights.”

She added: “There is still so much to fight for. I want this award to be the first step in celebrating her legacy”…. “I want every girl and woman in our great city to know about Mary Clarke and what she did for us.” Cllr Sankey said that she hoped one day to see Mary Clarke’s statue in the grounds of the Royal Pavilion and Conservative councillor Carol Theobald and others agreed. 

Councillor Theobald said: “Let us hope that the statue proposed for Mary for will come

to the Pavilion estate, as it is thoroughly deserved.” She recalled 2018, when the blue plaque for the WSPU was installed at the Quadrant, commenting correctly that it was a shame that:  “…Mary had not been recognised among the women’s suffrage campaigners who were commemorated on the plinth of Millicent Fawcett’s statue in Parliament Square.” 

Cllr Theobald highlighted the terrible violence Mary and her fellow suffragettes suffered at Black Friday, when so many were attacked and sexually assaulted.

Labour Cllr Amanda Grimshaw, who has long supported our campaign and is an active campaigner against domestic abuse, also made a moving speech. There was warm support too from Green Councillor Sue Shanks who said she hoped to see many more women given the freedom of the city.

Labour Cllr Alan Robins spoke passionately about the importance of the statue and

paid generous tribute to the campaigning work of the Statue Appeal. He especially highlighted the awareness raising work of the child ambassadors and the Mary’s Lamp girls’ group at Balfour School. Since the 2018 centenary, Cllr Robins has worked with us in advocating for suffrage plaques and the statue of Mary. He too supports it being erected in the Pavilion Gardens near the Museum to ensure it is seen by as many people as possible, especially children.

When Labour Councillor Mitchie Alexander rose to speak she surprised those present, not by making a speech, but by reading a very powerful poem she had written herself about Mary’s  importance to women.

With Cllr Alexander’s permission, we hope to get the text of that poem and post it on the website

Statements of support were also read from the city’s three members of Parliament, Caroline Lucas, Peter Kyle and Lloyd Russell-Moyle, the first two of whom are Patrons of the Appeal.

After the meeting, Jean Calder, Chair of Trustees commented: “Our fundraising has

been hard hit, first by the COVID lockdown and then the cost of living crisis. This wonderful honour has raised Mary’s profile once again and will provide a renewed boost to the campaign as it relaunches in 2024. We are so grateful to the Mayor, Cllr Sankey and others for all their help.”

“Given an  increase in foundry costs, including the cost of bronze, our target is now £60,000, of which we have raised £20,000, almost all of it from small individual donations.”

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 behalf of Mary. They are several times great nieces of Mary Clarke, who was born Mary Goulden.  We hope supporters will come along to cheer them all on.

The meeting will take place at 3.30pm following an invitation-only reception for the Appeal at 2.30 hosted by the Mayor, Cllr Jackie O’Quinn. Councillors will make short speeches and Briony will respond. Child Ambassadors, including Sophie and Lena  and River Isaac, will be there. 

River Isaac will be accompanied by at least one other member of the Mary’s Lamp girls’ group, which she set up at Balfour School. River will be carrying Mary’s lamp, recalling Isabella McJKeown’s comment after Mary’s death that her friends and followers should “not mourn in silence” but “take up the torch and light the darkness”. We hope Isaac Abatan (21), our first Student Ambassador, will also be present to support the others. The Appeal Trustees will be there and our Patrons and Adult Ambassadors have been invited.

There will be photo opportunities in front of the large cut-out of the proposed statue. In addition to the lamp, we will also bring the resin maquette (the bronze one is too heavy to carry).  Provided we have someone to carry it, we will also bring our beautiful embroidered banner.

Though the reception is by invitation only, we hope other supporters will be there for the presentation. If you would like to attend, or know people who might like to do so, please let them know. Please be there for 3.15 pm, in good time for the start of the Council meeting at 3.30. You will have to sit in the gallery, but there is a good view and you can make some noise in appreciation! With luck, we may be able to meet for a hot drink in the downstairs  cafe after the event.

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 for Mary that we gratefully support.”

“We are thankful to Cllr Bella Sankey and her colleagues for this recognition of Mary’s courage and of her contribution to the struggle for women’s rights and universal suffrage.”

Women’s suffrage founder to be awarded freedom of the city

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 funds. We are so grateful, especially as the girls must have been under huge pressure of work, having moved up this year to Brighton College’s senior school. Once again the girls have had the active support of parents and friends and we are so thankful to them.

Sophia and Izzie are seasoned campaigners, having previously raised the money to fund a blue plaque in Brighton

for pioneering lawyer Helena Normanton. In this they had the support of their prep school at Brighton College and many friends, as well as their parents, and many prominent women lawyers and academics inspired by Helena’s life and achievement. They raised so much money they were able to erect the plaque and also ensure that Helena’s grave at St Wulfran’s Church in Ovingdean was cleaned and restored.

We were delighted to be able to attend the inspiring unveiling ceremony, along with many others including the Mayor Cllr Lizzie Deane. We were also very honoured that the girls, their parents and key donors then decided that funds not used for the Normanton plaque should be donated to the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal. This was extremely generous and we were very grateful. 

Inspired by Mary’s example, our young ambassadors have themselves shown inspirational levels of commitment.

The staff at the Jubilee Library invited us to help mark the United Nation’s annual  International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women which takes place on 25th November. The day launches the UN’s annual 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violenceto combat violence against women and girls. This ends on the 10th December, Human Rights Day. The United Nation’s global theme for 2022’s 16 Days of Activism is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”.

The library staff have kindly agreed to display our maquette of Mary in the Foyer to the Library and it will remain there from 7th November through to early December. From 25th November, the beautiful hand-embroidered banner of Mary Clarke, which was made for us by Jenny Engledow, will be on display in the library in a prominent position. We hope it will remain there for the full 16 Days of Activism.

We note that November is the month of remembrance. It starts with All Souls Day, on the 2 November, when, traditionally, the Christian church remembers the dead. As the month goes on, we mark Remembrance Sunday, commemorating those who have died

in war and conflict. Then each year on 25 November the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women launches the worldwide 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence to combat violence against women and girls.

We in the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal remember all women and girls who have died by violence in recent years and in the past. In particular, we remember the terrible events of “Black Friday” on 18th November 1910, when so many suffragettes were brutalised as they attempted to petition Parliament. We recall that it was almost certainly on that day that Mary Clarke received the head injuries that on Christmas Day 1910 led to her death by brain haemorrhage. Mary was the first of three women to die as a result of injuries that day. We remember them – and others (women and men) who have died in their struggle for freedom and democracy.

Please come if you can.