Mary Anning Rocks!

[BlueKrono]

Hi @BlueKrono ,

Wow, a Plesiosaur fossil would be something else, very expensive if (almost) complete. Plesiosaur finds are I believe rarer at Lyme - hence Mary's achievement in finding the then best preserved one.

You can actually find bits of bone etc at Lyme though. On our fossil walk a lucky teenager found an Icthyosaur centrum, the bit of vertebrae which fossilize like a slightly warped disc. They are very distinctive and quite common if you can get your eye in.

I found that difficult though and it seemed to be the kids who were the champion fossil finders, perhaps due to their sharper eyes and being closer to the ground. I found only four belemenite guards all day and some broken ammonite bits, whereas my youngest daughter found a handful of belemnites and a small but beautifully preserved ammonite, now proudly displayed at home.

Oh, not a complete one, surely. I don't have the funds to be that level of fossil collector. Just like a phalange or something would make a very neat souvenir.

[Crackington]

Happy New Year Fellow Forumites,

Hope you don't mind me pasting an update from Evie and Anya on the statue campaign:

"23% More and we can start to build Mary's Statue!

You have raised so much for Mary since the launch of our crowdfund in late November. A staggering £47,000 in a pandemic and the run up to Christmas is no mean feat! BUT! We need another big push to be able to get Denise Dutton, our chosen artist, to begin work on the statue.

Please share with friends, family, colleagues and anyone you think would love to help!

So, here's to a New Year, let's hope it's better than the last one! Stay safe and see you on the other side."

The Crowd funding link* is here:

https://www.maryanningrocks.co.uk/pledge

I realise, as do Anya and Evie, that people may not be in much of a position to support the campaign due to the tough times arising from the pandemic, or have already done so, but please help spread the word if you can.

*For friends beyond the UK, don't tick the gift aid box if you do donate - this is for UK tax payers and it may confuse the crowd funding site if you tick it and then leave an overseas address (there's no need to give your address).

[Crackington]

Hi everyone, well this is my 500th post on the Forum so I was hoping to make it a good one! I'm not the most prolific poster, but have really enjoyed being in the Forum since March 2012 (I was on version 1 a bit too). Thanks to everyone on here and in particular Dr Admin for starting it up and bringing us all together 😊

There is some good news to report on Mary Anning Rocks too. They are getting closer to their target and need another 10% to be able to commission the statue.

The sculptor Denise Dutton sadly is recovering from Covid 19, but thankfully is getting better. Evie and Anya have sent the following news to supporters (the Anning Army!):

"The first sketch of how Mary's Statue will look.




We are so thrilled to be able too share with you the preliminary sketch of how Mary's statue will look.

Some of the details need fine tuning but over all this sketch gives you an idea how the composition of the statue will ultimately look.

This depicts Mary at the height of her fame, as a young woman walking out to the beaches to fossil hunt. Mary is in her full working clothes carrying the accoutrements of her trade, basket, bonnet, hammer and Tray her dog.

The platform she is walking on will also show some of her most famous finds etched into the base."

Brilliant news! Thanks for supporting the campaign and keep spreading the word!

[Crackington]

Hi everyone,

Just a short update on the Mary Anning Rocks campaign.

Crowdfunder UK have extended the donating deadline to 12 February, so please consider supporting the campaign if you are able, or haven't had a chance to do so yet:

https://www.maryanningrocks.co.uk/pledge

They are now very close to reaching the target to start work on the statue (70%), but need to also raise funds for its upkeep and the educational programme to be put in place.

By the way, if anyone has any ideas to help promote the campaign or indeed tips from any similar grass roots campaigns, please feel free to post here and I'll pass on to Evie and Anya.

[Libraraptor]

So cool to hear that the campaign is progressing. I gave my friend who teaches biology a shirt and a print for Christmas in order to make him interested and share with his pupils.  Unfortunately,  schools are closed in Germany so he can not really spread the campaign. Pupils are comcerned with their homeschooling stuff which is quite tough and my friend 's schedule is full.   If schools were open he probably would help.

[Crackington]

Thanks @Libraraptor, I really appreciate your efforts to spread the word - you have the t-shirt too so welcome to the Anning Army!

I understand about your friend's school, ours in the UK are mostly closed apart from for key workers' children. My daughters go to a girls' school and we're still waiting to see if the Headmistress will send out a message about the campaign. They are really struggling with day to day issues though, and I guess a statue campaign is not such a high priority in these difficult times.

I think Evie and Anya realise this too, hence the extended crowdfunder deadline, but we'll hopefully get there in the end.

[Halichoeres]

Glad to hear they extended it. Threw in a few bucks, although obviously I won't be able to attend any unveilings...

[Crackington]

Great news, the campaign has now received enough donations for the statue to be commissioned. Mary Anning will finally get the statue she deserves in Lyme Regis:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/19/statue-fossil-hunter-mary-anning-erected-campaign-lyme-regis

The campaign still needs funds to implement the educational work and to ensure the statue's upkeep, so please do keep spreading the word and donating if you can.

A massive thanks to everyone who has supported it so far, I applaud you all👏👏👏

[UK]

Hi @BlueKrono ,

Wow, a Plesiosaur fossil would be something else, very expensive if (almost) complete. Plesiosaur finds are I believe rarer at Lyme - hence Mary's achievement in finding the then best preserved one.

You can actually find bits of bone etc at Lyme though. On our fossil walk a lucky teenager found an Icthyosaur centrum, the bit of vertebrae which fossilize like a slightly warped disc. They are very distinctive and quite common if you can get your eye in.

I found that difficult though and it seemed to be the kids who were the champion fossil finders, perhaps due to their sharper eyes and being closer to the ground. I found only four belemenite guards all day and some broken ammonite bits, whereas my youngest daughter found a handful of belemnites and a small but beautifully preserved ammonite, now proudly displayed at home.

Lyme gets all the attention down down in West Dorset but Charmouth is also a great place to hunt for fossils. As a child, I had quite a nice collection of ammonite groups discovered at  Charmouth. The beach was always more safe there too as you need to be careful with the tides down at Lyme. Once the lockdown eases and my wife is on the mend, I'll head back down there again. Despite not being too far from me, it can be a devil of a drive due to the country lanes in deepest Dorset.

I've been lucky to find a number of Icthyosaur centrums over the years, all of which I have given to friends afar. The joy of finding a fossil is just magical, being the first person to break open a rock millions of years old to expose it contents cannot fail to bring a smile to one's face.

Oh the thought of no lockdown!

[Crackington]

Interesting point about Charmouth @UK , must admit I tended to think of it as the same place! I guess for natives of Dorset though, they are very different towns.

The girls and I visited Charmouth in 2019 and whilst we had no luck with fossils that time, managed to take in the excellent Visitors Centre there. There's a fantastic cast of the amazing Scelidosaurus skeleton found here recently which changed much on how the animal was seen.

I agree UK being able to freely go there again will be a joy!

[Crackington]

Short update on Mary Anning Rocks - they are inching closer to the £100,000 target on Crowdfunder. With 11 days to go they are at £92,600!

I managed to get a letter and my ugly mug into the latest issue of Prehistoric Times too and also sneaked a plug in for the campaign (thanks to Mike Fredericks).

There is still time if anyone wishes to donate:
https://www.maryanningrocks.co.uk/pledge

Big thanks to all the Forumites who have signed up to the Anning Army so far, and/or helped spread the word 👍🖖

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

I have just pledged. I have been meaning to do so for a while. I hope this succeeds

[Crackington]

Way to go Gothmog 👍

[Crackington]

Brilliant news, they're just under the target £100 K with seven days to go!

The campaign is now looking to set a new target for a "stretch fund" which will allow them to do more with  the statue, utilising modern technology for imaginative educational work.

I hope you don't mind me pasting their latest message on this, which explains it better than I can:

"As We Near The End Of The Crowdfund

We thought we'd tell you about our stretch target of £50k to enable us to do some of these amazing things.

A sustainable legacy that will live on beyond the statue and inspire children from all walks to follow in Mary's footsteps.

If we are able to hit our stretch target it would allow us to develop a free downloadable App called 'Mary's Map'. This will give everyone the chance to follow in Mary's footsteps. Wander around Lyme Regis finding out where she lived and worked, checking out the buildings and the landmarks in Lyme that were important to Mary's story.

We would also like to develop Bluetooth activated nearfield technology or scannable QR codes that will allow visitors to interact directly with the statue so they can learn more about Mary's life and work. This could also include the development of augmented reality so people could really see how Mary's world would have been.

We would have free, fun Mary Fact Packs to down load from our website and a big part of what the extra funding would do is to fund or supplement schools engagement. Getting our next generation of Earth Scientists out on the beaches, finding fossils just as Mary did when she was a child over 200 years ago.

It's hugely important that any contemporary memorialisation be contextualised for a modern audience. Not doing so is precisely why some statues are now being toppled. Having the chance to launch our Mary Anning Rocks Learning Legacy, we hope, will come a long way in helping us to do exactly that.

So let's keep going.....!"


You can still donate at:


https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/maryanningrocks

[Crackington]

It's official! They have made the £100K!

At this great moment for the campaign, I thought I'd pass on Evie and Anya's latest message to the Anning Army:

"WE DID IT......!!!

Evie and I are so thrilled to tell you all that we have smashed our target. We were holding our breath as we watch the total tick closer and closer to the final amount and then when I refreshed my laptop and we had hit the £100,000 mark this morning, we just leapt from our seats and screamed, then burst into happy tears.

At a time when many of us are struggling with a third lockdown and all the stresses and difficulties that come with that, hitting this target to enable us to build Mary's statue is even more remarkable.

Watching over the weeks as more and more of you donated made me feel very honoured to have been part of something so kind and amazing. People are truly great when we all pull together.

And I want to be really clear, yes, we have had 3 large donations come through but none were over £5,000. and given my amazing organisations and other charitable bodies.

This statue was made possible by everyday people, like you, giving their hard-earned cash to something truly inspirational.

You are all wonderful and Evie, myself and the team here at Mary Anning Rocks thanks you all for your support and love for this project.

So, what's next?

As you can see, we have now triggered our stretch fund because we want to go after a further £50,000. This will allow us to launch the Mary Anning Rocks Learning Legacy, a sustainable legacy that will live on after the statue is raised. An educational program of free learning materials and funded fossils walks for children from underserved backgrounds. Enabling our next generation of Earth Scientists to get out on the beaches to find fossils just like Mary did when she was a child over 200 years ago.

So, let's keep going!

Mary Anning really does ROCK!"

[Crackington]

Hi everyone, further update on Mary Anning Rocks. The crowd funding page is still open for donations as they are now aiming to raise a further £50K for the sustainable legacy and educational work:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/maryanningrocks

You can also support the campaign by buying their brilliant t-shirts and gifts:

https://maryanningrocks.teemill.com/

Anya and Evie have further outlined plans:

"Work is now underway on the maquette which we hope to share with you in March.

We have started the ball rolling with planning permission and we have just engaged an installation company to help erect Mary when the time comes.

And an important date for you to add to your diaries is Saturday 21st May 2022. 

We hope this will be the unveiling in Lyme Regis of Mary's statue. It will be a poignant day as it will be Marys 223rd birthday. What an amazing birthday gift to give her. "

Thanks everyone 🙂

[Crackington]

Hi everyone, here's the latest update from Mary Anning Rocks, which is still accepting donations at: https://www.maryanningrocks.co.uk/pledge

Work has begun in earnest on the statue and the US Paleontological Society have made a donation too (thanks to our US buddies!):

"Our March Update
This month's news:

Mary's Maquette Is Underway

Denise Dutton has been working closely with Jenny Lister, Fashion and Textiles Curator at the V&A London, and with many more sources and experts on historical costume to make sure Mary is dressed appropriately.
We hope to be able to share the images of the maquette at the end of April and have it on show at an event in Lyme Regis in May so the town can come and see her. Dates all TBC, depending on what tier Dorset will be in and if it's safe to do so.

Rewards Have All Been Sent

All your Limited Edition (spelt correctly) bags have now been sent out so look out for them in the post. The first batch of Limited Edition Ammonites have also gone out and should be followed by the second batch next week.

And if you haven't received your personalised certificate on email yet then please do check your junk mail. They all went out last week so you will have received them.

And in other news...

Paleontological Society

We are also thrilled to tell you we have the patronage and a generous donation from the amazing Paleontological Society. The global draw of Mary and her remarkable discoveries is just so awe-inspiring. We are so excited to have our friends from over the pond join our Anning Army! Welcome!

PS Only those who specifically selected a reward from our list will receive one"

[Crackington]

It's been a while, but here is an update, via the UK Guardian on the Mary Anning statue:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/04/perfect-spot-statue-of-fossil-hunter-mary-anning-nears-unveiling

The campaign has been struggling with planning permission with the local council but now has got the go ahead to put the statue up. They are aiming for May this year (I'm hoping to go to the unveiling if I can!).

[Crackington]

Mary Anning Rocks have just sent another update and it's a good one! Denise Dutton's statue is finished and will soon go for casting in Wales, in bronze. They've sent supporters some advanced photos and Anya and Evie have kindly allowed me to share a couple:





I think you'll agree that this is stunning work and is a fitting tribute to Mary.

The unveiling ceremony will be on Saturday 21st May in Lyme Regis and supporters are welcome to attend.

If you'd like to donate you still can, as this will now be a long-term educational project:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/maryanningrocks

[Libraraptor]

This is great! I have been following them on Instagram for over one year now and find it awesome what Evie and their supporters managed to accomplish! I even bought a shirt for me and my friend, since I found this reference to "Joy Division" very cool.