The sun shines on RCN’s Mary Seacole stand

Published: 29 May 2012

The RCN West Midlands Regional Office took full advantage of the stunning sunshine to raise awareness, and money, for the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal between Thursday 24 May and Saturday 26 May.

At a stand in Victoria Square, Birmingham, where the Levi Roots Caribbean Food Festival was being held, staff handed out leaflets and spoke to members of the public about who Mary Seacole was, what she had achieved, and why the RCN was raising money for a memorial statue.

Patch Administrator Audrey Bergan, who organised the stand, said: “We had a great response from the people of Birmingham, and have raised over £200 towards the appeal.

“As one of the founders of modern nursing it was fantastic to be able to share the story of Mary Seacole with the public and celebrate what she had done for nursing.

“The weather was absolutely glorious and we needed plenty of water and suntan lotion, but it was wonderful to see so many people out enjoying themselves in the sunshine!”

The RCN West Midlands team were delighted that Cheryl Davis, a diabetic research nurse from the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, joined them on the stand to raise awareness with members of the public about diabetes.

The team also distributed ‘Time to Act’, a health supplement produced by the National Cancer Action Team aimed at raising awareness amongst the black and minority ethnic (BME) community about ways to take action to keep themselves healthy.

A "Celebrating Black History and Culture" newsletter was also handed out to the public, celebrating the achievements of nurses from the BME community in Birmingham and beyond.

The stories highlighted how the RCN's Principles of Nursing Practice, which outline what everyone should expect from nursing, were being used in the workplace and demonstrated how much of Mary Seacole's work illustrated these principles and provided a template for the RCN's modern day work.

Photo caption one: Thursday 24 May 2012 - Levi Roots and staff from the West Midlands regional office at the Mary Seacole Stand. Staff included the regional director, operational manager, officers and assistant officers and administration. Staff also helped on the day at the festival in other duties.

Photo caption two: Saturday 26 May 2012 - Lord Mayor Councillor John Lines visited the Mary Seacole stand, where Audrey Bergan spoke to him about the possibility of bringing Mary Seacole alive via a play to the Arts Festival taking place in September in Birmingham.