Chancellor pledges funding to complete Mary Seacole statue

After years of fundraising, campaigners will finally be able to pay fitting tribute to a woman hailed as a key figure in the nursing profession.

During yesterday’s autumn statement chancellor George Osborne revealed that £240,000 in banking fines will be granted to the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal, allowing the project to be completed.

The appeal has been raising funds since 2008 for Britain's first permanent statue of Mrs Seacole, who cared for wounded soliders during the Crimean War. It will stand in the grounds of St Thomas’ Hospital in London, opposite the Houses of Parliament

Appeal chair Lord Clive Soley confirmed the funding would allow the installation to be completed next spring, after unexpected costs delayed the project.

Responding to the announcement, Lord Soley said he was ‘absolutely delighted’, adding: 'It was an uphill struggle to raise funds for the statue itself, but that was achieved through the generosity of individual nurses, soldiers and others.

‘Supporters of the appeal, including trustees and ambassadors, are to be congratulated for the hard work they put in to make sure the statue was completed.

’However, earlier this year we were hit by an unexpected £180,000 bill for installation and had to delay the unveiling.

‘This means that Mary Seacole will finally get the recognition she deserves.’

The bronze statue of Mrs Seacole, who was voted Greatest Black Briton in 2004, will stand at over 15 feet tall. It was designed and created by sculptor Martin Jennings, whose previous works include Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras station.

Part of the funding will also go towards a memorial garden to commemorate civilian and military health workers who have put themselves in harm’s way in conflict zones or to combat disease, such as the recent Ebola outbreak.

As yet, no decision has been taken on the site of the memorial garden. Discussions will be taking place with a number of hospitals, including St Thomas’.