Sussex twins join campaign to honour suffragette in Brighton

Twin sisters from Sussex are campaigning to raise the profile of some pioneering women from our past.   13 year old Izzy and Sophia Kilburn have become child ambassadors for a suffragette statue appeal.

Mary Clarke was the sister of Emmeline Pankhurst and one of 300 women to demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament. She was arrested and imprisoned and went on hunger strike. She died two days after her release in 1910.

A campaign is underway in Brighton for a statue to be erected in her honour.

Izzy and Sophia Kilburn are no strangers to campaigning. The pair discovered the grave of Helena Normanton, the first female Barrister in the country, in their local cemetery and then campaigned for a blue plaque to be placed on the house where she lived in the city. 

Helena Normanton moved to Brighton when she was 4 years old. Her plaque will be unveiled in June on the 100th anniversary of her admission to the bar.

The girls have also discovered that only a quarter of the city's blue plaques were dedicated to women and that's something they want to change. 

Sophia said "I think it's really important because lots of people can get pushed aside even though today would be really different without them.    

Izzy added "I think they're really inspirational and they're really strong and I'm quite inspired by them."