Latest News
Travels with Mary Seacole
Written in 2005 to celebrate the bi-centennial of her birth, this delightful and informative one woman show brings to life the remarkable life and travels of Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole, whose healing hands and herbal remedies helped so many soldiers during the Crimean War.
Starring Cleo Syvlestre, the show is suitable for family audiences. Travels with Mary Seacole has been enthusiastically received at The National Portrait Gallery, The Museum of London, The Florence Nightingale Museum, The House of Lords, Bowhill Theatre, and various schools and literary festivals.
Actress Cleo has been recently appointed as an Ambassador for the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal and a collection will be made to help raise funds for this appeal.
Travels with Mary Seacole
Date: Tuesday 17- Sunday 22 June 2008 [Tuesday - Saturday 7.30pm; Sunday 6pm]
Venue: The Rosemary Branch, 2 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DT.
Tel: 020 7704 2730 (bar) / 020 7704 6665 (theatre & box office)
Starring: Cleo Syvlestre - Email: cecilia@rosemarybranch.co.uk
Artist to be commissioned
The Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal Trust wishes to commemorate the life of the outstanding nurse and Britain’s greatest black Briton, Mary Seacole, by commissioning an artist (PDF 618kb) of international standing to design and produce a contemporary memorial to be sited in St Thomas’ Hospital, London.
Expressions of interest from artists are invited. The Trust is also keen to receive recommendations from the public for accomplished artists thought to be appropriate as well as possible benefactors and sponsors willing to support the memorial.
Requests for information should be made in writing and sent no later than the 21st of July 2008 to:
Ms Philomena Davidson, The Davidson Arts Partnership (DAP), 34 Quainton Street, London NW10 0BE or by email: phil@davidsonarts.com
New trustees
A warm welcome to our new 2 Trustees: Celia Grandison-Markey and Lily Yeboah who were appointed in April 2008.
New branding design
The new branding design for the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal was undertaken [free of charge] by Lucy of Davidson Arts Partnership - many thanks! We are also very grateful to the sculptor Fowokan [aka George Kelly] for allowing us to use the image of a bust of Mary Seacole that he sculpted. The new logo was launched at the fundraising dinner on 21/2/2008.
Fundraising Dinner and Auction
Our sincere thanks to everyone who helped us raise a clear £7,000 from the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal dinner/auction at London’s Living Room, City Hall held on Thursday 21st February 2008. Brilliant!
Access The Times article about the fundraising dinner by Stuart Flitton "Remembering Mary Seacole". (Article published Thursday 7th February 2008).
Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Artist Selection Panel
We have received £10,000 from Barclays to help prepare the commission brief for a memorial. The panel that will select the sculptor has already had an initial meeting under the auspices of Philomena Davidson of the Davidson Arts Partnership. Ms Davidson is a past president of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. The Panel is chaired by Baroness Valerie Amos and has the following people on it:
- Lord Smith of Finsbury, former Secretary of State for Culture [1997-2001]
- Dr Stephen Deuchar, Director, Tate Britain
- Alexander Amosu, Business Entrepreneur
- Lady Hollick, Chair: Arts Council England, London
- Professor Elizabeth Anionwu, Vice-Chairperson, MSMSA
- Stephen McGuire, Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities Management, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Advisor: Philomena Davidson, Director, The Davidson Arts Partnership (DAP)
The charitable arm of Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd is committed to building the memorial at cost price and the site is agreed and confirmed in front of St Thomas’ Hospital opposite the Houses of Parliament.
Please email expressions of interest (phil@davidsonarts.com) to Philomena Davidson, Davidson Arts Partnership, Consultant Advisor to the panel (www.davidsonarts.com).
Fundraising News
We have to raise £450,000. We have already raised about £50,000 and Brixton Academy have pledged a further £50,000 from musical events by September 2008. We have recently raised £7,000 at a dinner and auction held at the Greater London Authority’s ‘London Living Room’. The money donated so far includes £10,000 referred to in the item above. The remainder has been raised by members, general contributions and local events. Many individuals and organisations are committed to helping us reach our target. Here are just a few more examples:
- Cumberland School in Plaistow London where about a dozen students from Year 11 are leading a fundraising campaign in the school to raise £1,000 over the next few months . watch this space!
- Virgin Atlantic has donated two return air tickets to Jamaica to raffle/auction
- The Royal College of Nursing, already a Patron of the Appeal, is providing administrative assistance and managing our accounts. The Jamaican High Commissioner is a Patron as also is the Mayor of London
- We have the support of the Department of Education for a white board site that will inform people about Mary Seacole and the role played by ethnic minorities in the period of industrial revolution and empire. This is aimed at schools throughout the UK
- The Nurses Association of Jamaica [UK] have donated £4,000
- Digicel Group [Mobile Operators] have donated £3,000
- ARUP global design and business consultancy have donated £1,000
- Over £600 has been donated in memory of the late Mrs Connie Mark who was a founder member of the Mary Seacole Memorial Association and who suggested to Lord Soley the need for a memorial
- In October 2007 [Black History Month], many organisations invited a speaker from the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal to talk about Mary.s life and provide an update about the Appeal. Numerous Mary Seacole badges were sold in aid of the Appeal at these events. We are particularly grateful to generous donations for badges from people attending meetings organised, for example, by South Eastern Region of the TUC [SERTUC]; Newcastle Literature and Philosophical Society; the opening of the Mary Seacole Ward - Whittington NHS Trust; RCN Students; Cumberland School, Plaistow London and Imperial War Museum.
Other News
Blue Plaque for Mary Seacole
English Heritage and the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal hosted the unveiling of a Blue Plaque on the building of a former residence of Mary Seacole in Soho Square, London.
MSMSA would like to convey our sincere appreciation to all these donors as well as to the Royal College of Nursing for the support they kindly provide to our website.
- Clive Soley
- Lord Soley of Hammersmith
- Chairman of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal
- April 2008
How you can help
Help publicise the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal by distributing our factsheet and Gift Aid form (PDF 348kb).
Raise money for the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal by searching the web with Everyclick. Join me: http://www.everyclick.com/elizabethanionwu
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