The world mourns the departure of Nelson Mandela for the unique person that he was.
This week we've exchanged emails with more local councillors across the political spectrum who have pledged their support for this campaign - 23 councillors in total have responded, which is a good number for a week's work! One councillor described the campaign as a "splendid idea", and another agreed that restoring the monument in some way would "bring the legacy and memory of William Wilberforce back to prominence." We have also contacted MPs and public figures who we feel would be interested, and are still waiting to hear back from many of these.
To discover more about slavery in a modern context, we watched a backbench parliamentary debate on modern day slavery with interest. The number of members present was a little disappointing, seeing as it followed the Chancellor’s autumn statement. The examples of hardship and restriction of freedom were extensively discussed, and the social and moral responsibility by individuals and organisations were made clear. It will be interesting to see if any Bills are progressed or proposed after this.
You may be interested to find out more about this debate, and this article is worth a watch or or read.
As for the monument, we're still awaiting a figure on the cost of the project. We've contacted the Building Surveyor for council properties to obtain an estimate for the cost of re-lighting the monument and this is expected soon.
We've also contacted schools in Hull and the surrounding area for their support in the hope that they will engage their students in remembering the significance of Wilberforce.
Thank you for your continued support.
wilberforcemonumentfund@gmail.com
