It is with great sadness that I wish to inform that a statue of Joseph Merrick will not be erected in his hometown of Leicester.

 

I have not managed to raise even close to the amount of money that I need. My wonderful sculptor was even able to reduce the cost as much as possible. 

Even with all of the support that I have received from friends, family, the media, and a number of Leicester citizens and others from outside the city, it has been a very difficult and stressful time. Especially dealing with nasty/aggressive comments on social media. I am one person, and this one person cannot manage.

 

I have been working with and supporting this project in Whitechapel, London https://josephsgarden.org/

 

I hope you will follow me and support my decision to carry out the promise I made on my gofundme and justgiving pages

***Please note. If we do not meet the required funds for a statue, the money will be used for another type of memorial for Joseph in Leicester. Any extra money raised not used for the statue will be donated to a disability charity.

 

Please DO NOT donate any money if you do not want your money used for anything else, other than a statue****

 

I have been in discussion with the Leicester Civic Society about the possibility of erecting a plaque for Joseph in the area where he was born. They are the experts who can advise me on planning permission/buildings and plaques and any other related matters. They have just erected a plaque on The Gresham Hotel in Leicester.

The remainder of the money raised will be donated to a disability charity and Joseph's garden.  I have just been speaking with the creators of Joseph's garden about what layout, flowers, and plants would be suitable. In addition to this, I have also written an account of Joseph's life on the webpage. They have a great deal of support, more than I could ever muster.

I am really hoping that my fabulous sculptor will get the commission to do the statue.

Once again, Leicester will miss out on this unique project. We would like to sincerely apologise to anyone that supported me through this endeavour.

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                                  The Joseph Carey Merrick Statue Appeal.