Plans for Suffragette statue of Preston's Edith Rigby poised to take next step

Organisers are waiting to hear from a charity as to whether it will act as a channel for donations.

Preston mayoress Trisha Rollo, who is involved in the project, said: “We are hoping to piggyback on a charity which already exists. People are going to that charity at the moment to ask if that’s possible - that’s all we are waiting for. We need to have a charity to be able to funnel the money through. We are also looking into the possibility of getting pledges from people beforehand.”

Once the team behind the plans get the nod from the charity they will set up a website for donations “and then we will be up and running”, said Trisha.

It was businessman Michael Conlon of Conlon Construction who initially came up with the idea for a statue to honour Edith Rigby.

While nothing is set as yet on where the statue will be or what it will look like organisers like the idea of placing it in Winckley Square where Edith lived.

Initial ideas put forward could see Edith sitting on a bench looking down Garden Street. It would reflect a statue of Sir Robert Peel on the other side of the square looking up Cross Street.

“Ideally we’d like a local artist to design the statue and for it to be made from local stone but it depends on the grant funding and if they say that it’s got to be open to the general public,” said Trisha.

“I’d also like a woman to design it.

"We will most probably see how much we can raise within a certain time and then see what we can do.

"If we can only raise enough money for a bust of her in the Harris then that’s what we will do but ideally we want a statue.”