There are certainly far too few statues to women around Scotland (Scotland's Feminists call for statues to be erected to the nation's unsung heroines, News, November 22). We write to make it clear that the Remember Mary Barbour Association is still fundraising to secure a statue of Mary Barbour in Govan. This will mark her leadership role in the historic 1915 Rent Strike and contribution as a campaigning social reformer and pioneering woman councillor.
Public declarations of support are not always linked to individual contributions and we are particularly disappointed by the lack of meaningful support from agencies such as Creative Scotland, which recently rejected our grant application.
Nonetheless, we are determined to raise the necessary funds and delighted to report that thanks to public donations we are at a positive halfway mark. Raising just over £50,000 enabled us to put out a call for tender this summer. We shortlisted five sculptors: Andrew Brown, Mark Longworth, Roddy McDowall, Kenneth Mackay and Morag McLean Maquettes. Small models of the statue design made by the artists have been unveiled at the Pearce Institute, Govan. They are now on show at various venues – the Pearce Institute Govan, Fairfield Heritage, Glasgow City Chambers, People's Palace Glasgow, Riverside Museum Glasgow and the Scottish Parliament.
We encourage Sunday Herald readers to go along to see the statue designs for themselves and to donate to make sure of a worthy memorial to Mary Barbour. There are lots of photographs of the maquettes on display on our Facebook Group at Facebook.com/RememberMaryBarbour and details of the maquette tour and how to donate are on our website at http://remembermarybarbour.wordpress.com/
Maria Fyfe, Chair,
Dr Catriona Burness
Remember Mary Barbour Association
The Sunday Herald has named the top five Scottish women who should be recognised, among them the suffragette Helen Crawfurd.
I knew her as Helen Crawfurd Anderson and as a young child had the privilege of meeting her in Dunoon. I remember her as an imposing figure with snow-white hair wearing a black hat and cape and carrying a silver-topped cane.
I was told that many years before, when addressing a meeting in Glasgow, she had been pelted with rubbish and had gone to my grandparents’ house on the south side to get cleaned up. This was much to the disapproval of my grandfather.
Helen was imprisoned and badly treated so that women might have the vote. She should not be forgotten.
Norma Joy Morrison
Helensburgh
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