Tackling inequality key aim of new Mary Seacole Trust
Posted 23 June 2017 - 16:55
A new charitable trust aims to promote the history and values of Victorian nurse Mary Seacole.
The Mary Seacole Trust (MST) has been established by the people behind the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal, who campaigned for 12 years to build a memorial for the black nurse who treated soldiers during the Crimean War (1853-1856).
The statue – the first for a named black woman in the UK – was finally realised last year, when it was unveiled at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
MST chair Trevor Sterling said: ‘The statue was funded by donations from thousands of individuals and organisations, bringing together people from a wide range of fields – NHS, the military, the arts, politics and many others.
‘While the statue is important in symbolising and recognising Mary’s contribution, there is now an opportunity and responsibility to harness this unprecedented diversity of support to create a legacy beyond the statue.’
The trust’s aims are to educate the public about Mary Seacole, promote her as a role model for equality and maintain the memorial.
Legacy grant
The Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity has provided the trust with a £50,000 education legacy grant to launch two major projects.
The first will be an education programme, including expansion of the Seacole display at the Florence Nightingale Museum in London, creating a website and running a Young Seacole Ambassadors initiative to teach young children about Mary Seacole.
A Diversity in Leadership programme will also be established to promote equality in public and private organisations, especially the NHS.
Discussions will be held to promote best practice, and England’s Chief Nursing Officer Jane Cummings will work alongside the trust.
Companies are invited to become ‘baton holders’ for the trust and hold fundraising events to support its aims.
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