Shelleython gathers momentum
Theresa Gooda reports on the latest news of fundraising and support for the 2021 Shelleython
Snapshot of the donations coming in
Yesterday our team of volunteers gathered in Horsham Park to go through the final details for next weekend’s Shelleython. We are excited to have already raised more than a thousand pounds towards our fundraising target for a permenant memorial to Horsham’s most famous citizen - with still a week to go before all of Shelley’s poems are read aloud.
As the campaign gathers momentum, it has been wonderful to see the levels of community engagement for the project. Here’s what some of the donors have already said:
“I think that it is important that Horsham's most famous native has some form of memorial to remind people of him and what he believed in.” Gerard Kavanagh
“It’s a great cause.” Dorothy Macedo
“A very worthwhile project, and much needed in the town of his birth. Percy Shelley is an important figure in English literature and someone to be very proud of.” John Ivatts
“What a fantastic event! A Horsham monument to Shelley is long overdue.” Jenny Bailey
“It's important that Horsham has a permanent memorial to it's most famous son.” Stephen Watts
“Great idea, just shows how much culture we have in Horsham and worth celebrating.” Anonymous
“A great and original way of celebrating Horsham and the fantastic poet.”
The event will kick off at 7.30am on Saturday 31st July 2021, with Zoom readings of poems from around the world (including as far away as Australia) before the live readings in the park begin from 9am at three locations in the grounds: the bandstand, the Human Nature Garden and Poet’s Corner. Find out more details from Visit Horsham. Local MP Jeremy Quin will be reading one of Shelley’s most well-known works, Ozymandias, at 10am at the bandstand - and is firmly behind the campain:
“Shelley was original, radical and controversial. He was a brilliant poet who left an indelible imprint through his works and his influence on so many that have followed in his wake. He was very much a local man - someone Horsham can be proud to celebrate and I look forward to joining the Shelleython.” Jeremy Quin, MP.
You can donate to the project here, and be part of something really special in the local community by joining us to read a poem next weekend.