Mary Anning Rocks launches school engagement programme

Mary Anning Rocks, the charity working towards having the fossil hunter’s legacy celebrated and remembered with a monument in her hometown of Lyme Regis, will now go ahead with its long-awaited schools engagement programme despite Covid disruption to schools.

Lyme Regis artist Darrell Wakelam will lead this part of the project and will be asking pupils in the town to come up with designs for how the statue should look.

He said: “I am delighted to have been asked to help with this project by Mary Anning Rocks, not only is it something I am passionately supportive of but as a resident of Lyme Regis, I think it’s really important that the local children get a chance to have their say and take some ownership of the idea too.

“I’m really looking forward to see the fantastic ideas they come up with.”

Evie Swire, a local schoolgirl who kickstarted the campaign in April 2018, as she felt Mary Anning deserved to be honoured with a statue in the town.

She said: “I want all the local children to be involved in how Mary should look because we will be the ones who will be looking after her, so it’s important they all know they had a part in making her.”

Anya Pearson, trustee of the charity Mary Anning Rocks, said: “Pre Covid, the plans were for Darrell to do one of his famous workshops with all the key schools in the area. Now the engagement program will be delivered virtually.”

Once Darrell has selected the finalist from each school, he will work closely with artist Denise Dutton who was chosen from a short list of nationally renowned sculptors and will now, with the help of the children’s ideas, produce sketches and a maquette of how Mary will look.

Anya added: “We are so excited to announce the prize for the two winners from each school will be to help our patron, TV and science presenter professor Alice Roberts, unveil the statue when it’s ready.”

To find out more about the campaign, visit maryanningrocks.co.uk