About

Friends of Edith (FoE)

FoE is a not-for-profit organisation (or group, open to all, of like-minded people who are its members) committed to protecting the statue of Edith and Harold in West Marina Gardens, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex and to increasing the awareness and appreciation for Edith Swan-neck who is depicted in the statue finding the body of her husband, King Harold II, killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The statue was made in 1875 by Charles Wilke for Lord Brassey, who was MP for Hastings at the time and who subsequently gave the statue to the town as a gift for display in the Town Hall. Unfortunately it never reached that intended destination and has been in various buildings in the town and, from the 1930s onwards, located outside exposed to the elements, including since 1953 in its current location. Due to the rain and salt air (it is 50 metres from the sea) it is eroding significantly. FoE has been formed to help protect the statue from further erosion and preserve it for future generations. In addition, Edith’s life story, largely hidden from history,  has interesting resonances for today and so deserves to be more widely known.

Thus, FoE’s guiding mission is to use both the preserved statue and greater enlightenment about Edith as positive forces for projects that will benefit both today’s community and the better understanding of our heritage.

Aims and Objectives

Our overall objectives are to:

  • Raise awareness of the statue’s story and plight
  • Use its value as a local landmark and community asset to improve knowledge/understanding of our heritage.
  • Oversee maintenance and protection of the statue, and raise funds accordingly through the CARE(1) campaign
  • Open membership to all, particularly locally where practical action can be rendered through group volunteers
  • Hold regular meetings/drop-ins and special events(2) to plan activities, discuss issues and build co-operative working and understanding.
  • Publically endorse these objectives with the support of official patrons(3).

Our specific aims are to:

  • Hold/set-up fundraising, promotional, community and discovery/learning events and projects
  • Clean and seal the statue, plinth and paving base
  • Develop signage, information facilities and visitor experiences to help engagement and understanding
  • Run a website and social media channels to promote communication, encourage participation and raise funds
  • Set up Statue/Neighbourhood Watch scheme(s) to help guard the statue and the local environment
  • Install and run CCTV facilities in support of this
  • Consult widely to choose how best to protect the statue and commission work accordingly
  • Consider charitable status for the group to maximise its benefits
  • Consider setting up a scheme for further research and community projects in the future.

1.CARE is an established Campaign for Action to Rescue Edith (by the  original name of Campaign for A ‘Roof’ for Edith) which has so far raised funds to put a plaque on the statue and will continue to be the fund we use in support of the above aims and objectives. It can be found on both Facebook and Twitter, and also has an online petition page (all @roof4edith)

2.These  take place every first Thursday of the month, at the statue in West Marina Gardens  (12-2pm) and in the Marina Fountain pub (2-4pm) opposite. See Membership page for details

3.We are very proud that Amber Rudd, (MP for Hastings and Rye 2010 to 2019) and Nigel Sinden (Mayor of Hastings) have both agreed to be our official patrons.

FoE Constitution

FoE was formally constituted*  on 14th October 2018 with the following offices: Chairman (Howard Moorey), Secretary (Ian Jarman) and Treasurer (Janice Bonney). The group is an open association of its members who have equal say in shaping the work of the group, and whose roles and activities are as required and agreed between them from time to time and from project to project. We hope to conduct most of our business  without a formal committee structure in order to streamline activity wherever possible.  Regular meetings are held through monthly Drop-By/Drop-In sessions and progress is reported through Quarterly Newsletters to members.

*A copy of the Articles of Association can be obtained from info@friendsofedith.org.uk

The Story So Far

Since January 2017 we have:

  • Set up CARE: Campaign for A ‘Roof’ for Edith as the initial campaign to raise awareness and funds. This remains our principal fund-raising campaign banner today
  • Set up and run Facebook and Twitter pages for this campaign, both @roof4edith
  • Gathered over 200 manuscript signatures of support to demonstrate demand and opinion for the protection of the statue
  • Set up an online petition page to widen the scope for signatures with currently over 500 more signatures, at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/campaign-for-a-roof-for-edith
  • Published a book, ‘Edith’s Last Embrace’ telling the story of the statue and the key protagonists in the story. See Resources.
  • Arranged for repair of spotlight at the statue so that it is properly illuminated at night-time
  • Set up Friends of Edith as the body to take the future work of the group forward
  • Funded the making and affixing of a cast aluminium plaque to the statue’s plinth identifying the statue and how it was made. The plaque was unveiled by Amber Rudd MP and Mayor Nigel Sinden on 26 April 2019
  • Attended Battle Abbey’s Battle of Hastings celebrations (in October in 2017, 2018 and 2019) and raised further funds through donations and selling FoE merchandise (see Resources)
  • Planning for the next stages, including set up of this FoE website.
  • Held our first community event, called ‘Swan Songs & Sketches’ in the Marina Fountain on 6th January 2020, to raise awareness and funds
  • Cleaned statue and plinth, completed in June 2020
  • October 2020: awarded 3-year Licence by HBC to, among other things, ‘protect and look after’ statue
  • Issued our first Newsletter in November 2020
  • Created a Native Wildflower Meadow to the east of the statue, April-June 2021
  • Made light repairs to statue plinth, base and paving, July 2021
  • Planted Old English Wild Rose bushes in the grass garden in April 2022 to establish a working rose garden for the future 
  • Renovated and painted the statue’s plinth in May 2022 and planted new flower beds around the benches in honour of Tony Connerty (with new brass plaques) and replanted the marigold floral bed
  • In June/July 2022 painted adjacent walls to match the plinth and erected a new notice and storyboard in the visitor information space
  • In October 2022 held a programme of events for Hastings Week –  the first ever Edith Festival – on Tuesday 11th October 2022 and manned a stall at the Battle Re-enactment weekend

Edith's story

We are working on developing a full and interactive history of Edith and her times which we hope to implement in the near future. In the meantime much of Edith’s story can be found in our book ‘Edith’s Last Embrace‘ which can be ordered from our Resources page.

The Statue's story

The statue’s story is also briefly told in the above book, but here is a snippet from one of our information storyboard signs: