Emily Williamson Statue Campaign national tour visits RSPB Loch Leven
The campaign to create a statue of RSPB founder and eco pioneer Emily Williamson (1855-1936) is touring RSPB reserves around the country including a visit to RSPB Loch Leven in Kinross.
Article Source: RSPB
Last Updated: 7 October 2021 11:01
The campaign to create a statue of RSPB founder and eco pioneer Emily Williamson (1855-1936) is touring RSPB reserves around the country. This will include a visit to RSPB Loch Leven in Kinross, on Friday 8 October 2021. Four sculptors have each created a beautiful design of a statue for Emily and the maquettes (miniature statues) will be on display at Loch Leven with visitors able to find out more about the project and vote for their favourite.
Emily’s campaigning began with her horror at the fashion for using feathers in the creation of hats; a cruel practice that reached a peak in Victorian times and often saw whole birds used within ostentatious designs. It was a huge industry that saw the importation of millions of birds for their feathers and threatened the extinction of whole species. Emily’s campaign began with a meeting over tea and cakes in 1889 and would ultimately lead to a change in legislation (not until 1921 with the Plumage Act) and the founding of the Society for the Protection of Birds, which in 1904 would receive royal ascent to be come the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
And yet, Emily’s story hasn’t gained its rightful place in the history books, she’s received little recognition and her inspiring legacy has been largely unexplored. But that is about to change. The catalyst for this will be a statue for Emily that will stand in the grounds of the home from where her campaigning began; Didsbury’s Fletcher Moss Park, Manchester. And with the project, which is a partnership between the RSPB and the Emily Williamson Statue Campaign, comes a reminder of what we can achieve as individuals and that we as individuals must do more for the natural world.
Visitors to RSPB Loch Leven will be able to find out more about Emily’s story, see the four exquisite maquettes that have been created by the final shortlisted sculptors, vote for their favourite and meet Chair of the Emily Williamson Statue Committee, Andrew Simcock. Andrew previously led a public engagement exercise of this nature with the campaign for a statue of the suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst. This was unveiled in Manchester during the centenary of Votes for Women in 2018 and was recently voted the city’s favourite statue.
Andrew Simcock, Chair of the Emily Williamson Statue Committee, says, “The public have already helped us to shortlist to the final four sculptors and I want to encourage as many people as possible to now vote for their favourite design. We want Emily’s statue to be representative of the people that it seeks to inspire and our tour of RSPB reserves will be a wonderful way of reaching and engaging with people to share her incredible story. It’s also a poignant reminder of the legacy that Emily helped to create, with over 200 reserves now just a part of the work of the RSPB. I’m looking forward to visiting picturesque Loch Leven, a vitally important site for wildlife which also attracts thousands of visitors each year from across the world.”
The Emily Williamson Statue Campaign’s tour of RSPB reserves will take in the length and breadth of the country, visiting ten reserves. These include the RSPB’s headquarters in Bedfordshire, South Stacks in Wales and Belfast’s Window on Wildlife. Each is very different featuring heathlands, marshes and cliff tops.
The four short listed designs:
Clare Abbatt looks to the future by placing Emily next to a young girl who represents her great great niece, Professor Melissa Bateson, who now works as a bird scientist. The intention is to engage visitors of all ages in the challenges faced by the natural world.
Clare, who lives in Northamptonshire, says, “I’m committed to the idea of taking something forward; of it being not just a memorial, but a living inspiration. I want to celebrate what the RSPB is doing today by creating a piece of work that engages visitors of all ages, which children in particular can enjoy and learn from.”
Billie Bond makes direct reference to ‘murderous millinery’ with a bird hat, turned upsidedown to become a bird bath. Emily is seated quietly and contemplatively on a bench in her garden: the visitor is invited to join her, and reflect on the story.
Billie, who lives in Great Waltham, Essex, says, “To me, the feathers, the hats and the birds were the most important part of the story. The statue needs to shock, to show what was happening. But I wanted the hat to also tell a different story. By turning it upside down, Emily is giving it back to the birds. The little bird perched on the rim is a robin. It’s a symbolic offering: the robin represents rebirth.”
The design of international artist Laury Dizengremel is serene and simple: a young Emily looks tenderly and compassionately at a bird held in her hand. Laury’s aim is for people to have an instant connection to the statue.
Laury, who lives in France, says, “I want people to have an emotional response to my sculpture of Emily. I want it to have an emotional impact. I want people to be able to walk up to it, like a person, and say, “Hi there”.
Eve Shepherd has conceived a design that reveals more the closer one gets – with a crinoline dress that is in fact an organic cliff face, a nesting ground home to the birds that Emily campaigned to save. It also reflects a concern for the future, with birds that are vulnerable today incorporated into the design; owl, heron, grebe and kingfisher.
Eve, who lives in Brighton, says, “My version of Emily draws together both person and landscape. She protects the birds, women and girls within her care; she is the ‘mother of nature’. Visually, the statue will blend in with its leafy surroundings, as Emily’s verdigris skirts fade upwards to a warm conker brown. My work is designed to fit within nature and grow out of nature, as if Emily’s emerging from her surroundings. She is the conservation story. She’s Mother Nature herself.”
Andrew will be at Loch Leven on Friday 8th October from 10:00am until 4:00pm, all of the maquettes will be on display and there will be details of how to vote. All the information for planning a visit is here.
Those that cannot make it to Loch Leven can also vote online at www.emilywilliamsonstatue.com. Voting will be open until the end of October, with the final selected design to be announced in early November.
More information about Emily’s story can be found here; she was born in Lancaster, moved to Manchester when she married and later moved to London.
The campaign has a Crowdfunder to which donations can be made via https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/emilywilliamson
Image: RSPB Loch Leven Reserve
Sponsored Links
Latest Renfrewshire News
Braehead Shopping Centre is your place for festive fashion, food and fun this Christmas
Christmas is in full swing at Braehead Shopping Centre, and Scotland's leading retail and leisure destination is once again the place to celebrate the magic of the festive season!
READ MORE
Lights on in Linwood
Crowds turned out in Linwood to see the town's Christmas lights switched on for 2025.
READ MORE
Renfrewshire and Ayrshire and Arran Lieutenancies host Together at Christmas Community Carol Service
This year, Renfrewshire along with Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Ayrshire will join communities across the UK in hosting a 'Together at Christmas' Community Carol Service in Paisley Abbey.
READ MORE
DF Concerts & Events launches The DF Academy
DF Concerts launches the DF Academy to strengthen pathways between education and Scotland's live music & events industry.
READ MORE
Win your way to the IRN BRU Carnival
The Duck Hunt is back bigger and better with over 150 ducks hidden across Glasgow and beyond!
READ MORE
Work to start on six play parks across Renfrewshire
Investment in Renfrewshire's play parks continues with work set to begin on a further six play parks.
READ MORE
Unique approach of Pam Hogg will inspire the next generation of young people in Paisley
The unique legacy of globally-renowned Paisley designer and artist Dr Pam Hogg will inspire the next generation of creative talent, her proud home community says.
READ MORE
DF Concerts & Events celebrates a year of sustainable and inclusive events
DF Concerts & Events is celebrating the success of their sustainability initiatives delivered across their major summer events in 2025.
READ MORE
Step into Christmas at Dalmeny Park with special festive menus and afternoon teas this December
Dalmeny Park is pulling out all the stops to make this festive season truly magical, unveiling its 2025 festive dining menus and afternoon teas available until 23rd December.
READ MORE
Winter Connections programme returns to support communities across Renfrewshire
A brand-new programme of free fun activities and events returns with Renfrewshire’s praised Winter Connections.
READ MORE
Scottish jazz talent in tune as award winners unveiled
The Scottish Jazz Awards 2025 celebrated the cream of the crop in the jazz scene on Sunday night, honouring outstanding artists and contributors at a memorable ceremony in Glasgow.
READ MORE
Anna Campbell Jones launches small batch Scottish botanical rum distilled in Glasgow
Interior designer, BBC Scotland's Home of the Year judge and entrepreneur Anna Campbell-Jones has released her first spirit.
READ MORE
New civic plaza and events space to be created in Erskine
A new civic plaza, garden and events space will be created in Erskine to provide a focal point for the local community.
READ MORE
Braehead Shopping Centre announces partnership to support local community
The partnership is calling on the local community to donate new children's pyjamas, ensuring every child in Renfrewshire has something cosy to unwrap this Christmas.
READ MORE
Erskine lights up for Christmas
Erskine's Christmas lights have been switched on for 2025 with locals turning out to enjoy the occasion!
READ MORE
Johnstone shines bright this festive season
Crowds turned out in Johnstone's Houstoun Square on Saturday to see the town's Christmas lights switched on for 2025.
READ MORE
Name the Loganair Christmas puffin and win a family adventure
Loganair, the UK’s leading regional airline, has launched a new festive competition to name the puffin starring in its emotional Christmas advert.
READ MORE
A celebration of Art Deco to open at The Art Department Paisley
Deco 2025, an exhibition celebrating the decorative arts, will take place in The Art Department's new home from Tuesday 2nd December until Saturday 20th December.
READ MORE
Braehead celebrates bright young business stars this Christmas
Scotland's premier retail destination, Braehead Shopping Centre, today announce that this Christmas they will again welcome the Young Enterprise Christmas Trade Fayre.
READ MORE
Loch Lomond Shores Christmas Festival is a Christmas cracker this year!
A family rollercoaster, giant snow globe, rides, stalls, street food and live entertainment makes Loch Lomond Shores FREE Christmas festival the perfect Christmas day out for all the family!
READ MORE
Zizzi celebrates a fresh era with a new menu and app, by giving 132 people free pasta for one year
Zizzi has introduced a new food & drink menu across all its restaurants, launched a brand-new Zizzi app, and is giving 132 people free pasta for one year.
READ MORE
Festive Season at Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts Collection
Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts Collection have launched some new offerings designed for memorable Christmas stays, spectacular Hogmanay celebrations, and cozy winter escapes.
READ MORE
Renfrew lights up for Christmas
Crowds turned out in Renfrew town centre on Saturday to see the town’s Christmas lights switched on for 2025!
READ MORE
Second year of Urban Forestry Programme opens across Scotland
Community groups, organisations and schools across Scotland are being invited to apply for grants of up to £100,000.
READ MORE
New active play facility to be created in Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley
Renfrewshire will have a brand-new active play for all ages in the heart of the town after a contract was awarded to create the new facility in the Lagoon Leisure Centre.
READ MORE
Renfrewshire tourist spot set to benefit from investment
A popular tourist spot in Renfrewshire is set to benefit as more than £700,000 is invested in a new cycle hub, information kiosk, public toilets and landscaping improvements.
READ MORE
Find a festive backdrop in Glasgow and the West
From frosty gardens to cosy tearooms, National Trust for Scotland places in Glasgow and the West are offering a host of winter experiences and special events this festive season.
READ MORE
The Wizard Wae The Big Bawz: New adult panto brings comedy to Scotland in January
January needn't be a drag as Scotland's brand-new adult panto, The Wizard Wae The Big Bawz, hits the road, arriving just when the country needs a burst of joy!
READ MORE
Renfrewshire towns to light up for Christmas
Towns across Renfrewshire will officially mark the start of the festive season as the Christmas lights are due to be switched on over the coming weeks.
READ MORE
Thousands turn out for the annual Paisley Christmas Lights Switch On event
Crowds headed to Paisley town centre to mark the beginning of the festive season at the town's annual Christmas Lights Switch-On event.
READ MORESponsored Links
Sponsored Links