Sophia Goulden is best known as the mother of Emmeline Pankhurst. We want to highlight the work she did in campaigning for social change, and the undoubted influence this had on her family - a legacy that helped change the world. 

Born Sophia Jane Craine on the Isle of Man in 1833, she met and married Robert Goulden of Manchester and they moved to his home town to start their family. Mother to 11 children, the eldest of whom died at only 2 years of age, Sophia combined family life with campaiging for change. An ardent supporter of women's suffrage, she and Robert also were involved in the Anti-Corn Law movement, as well as campaigning for the abolition of slavery. Emmeline recalled one of her earliest memories as being the time she accompanied her mother at a bazaar in Manchester, raising money for newly emancipated slaves - at only five years old, but well aware of the meaning of the cause. At 14, she begged to be allowed to accompany Sophia to the Women's Suffrage meeting she regularly attended, and came away from it "a committed suffragist". 

Emmeline of course later became world renowned for her campaign of Deeds Not Words in the fight for Votes for Women, along with her daughters Christabel, Sylvia and Adela. Lesser known though is that her sister Mary Clarke worked alongside them too, being imprisoned several times for the cause, and eventually losing her life following repeated hunger strikes. Sophias other children too were involved and this well reflects the example she led for them all.

There is a worldwide lack of statues of women of note, but even more so in the Isle of Man. We feel that it it's vitally important to rectify the imbalance, and that a statue of Sophia would increase awareness of the work she did, and remind people that they too can make a difference. 

We have a proposed site for the statue in Laxey, and with your help, we can make sure this comes to fruition.