Dorset teenager raises £93,000 for Mary Anning Statue
Evie Swire started her campaign two years ago
Dorset’s first palaeontologist could soon be getting her very own statue on the Jurassic Coast thanks to a Dorset teenager.
13-year-old Evie Swire from Lyme Regis has raised £93,148 to build a statue of Mary Anning in her home town, as part of the ‘Mary Anning Rocks’ campaign.
They’re just under £7,000 short of their £100,000 goal, which includes fees for working with an artist, obtaining planning permission and legal oversight.
Mary Anning was a 19th century fossil collector well known for helping change thinking on prehistoric life. She was also the subject of ‘Ammonite’ a film that was shot in part in Lyme Regis starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.
Evie started ‘Mary Anning Rocks’ two years ago after finding out the collector did not have a monument anywhere.
Evie’s mother, Anya Pearson said it came from a conversation about a statue to suffragette Millicent Fawcett. Evie asked where Mary’s statue was.
“I had to explain to her that Mary was working class, she was Victorian, she wasn’t seen as anybody of merit and that didn’t happen.
“As I was talking to her, her neck went red and blotchy with anger, and I thought ‘she’s angry and we should all be angry’ because this incredible daughter of Lyme is not just one of the most significant female scientists to come out of Dorset or the UK.
“So, it was more of an anger that she’d been forgotten. That’s how it came about.”
If they reach their funding goal it’s hoped the monument could be unveiled on Anning’s 223rd birthday, 21st May 2022.
A number of roadblocks lie along the way though, particularly when it comes to planning permission.
Evie and Anya want to place that statue along the sea defences in Lyme Regis, an area owned by the Crown – not the council.
They’re also aiming to produce an education map of the town once the statue is up to make sure Mary’s story is never forgotten.
Anya said:
“After the statue is raised there is this continued educational program to make sure that she’s never forgotten again and part of that will be an interactive Mary’s map that anybody can download which will allow them to wander around Lyme Regis and follow in Mary’s footsteps.”
You can find out more about the Mary Anning Rocks fundraiser on their Facebook page.