Donations milestone in battle to save grave

CAMPAIGNERS FIGHTING to preserve the final resting place of a pioneering anti-slavery campaigner in Sheffield have reached their first milestone.

The Friends of Zion Graveyard needs to raise £5,000 to help buy the site in Zion Lane, Attercliffe, where prominent abolitionist Mary Anne Rawson is buried.

Having just passed the £1,000 mark, the group has teamed up with modern-day slavery campaigners.

It joined forces with Soroptimist International (SI) – which fights to protect the rights of vulnerable women and children, including those who have been trafficked and forced into slavery – to tidy up Mary Anne’s grave, which was hidden beneath dense foliage.

Steve Randall, treasurer of the friends group, said: “If Mary Anne were around today she would be appalled that people in this country and across the world haven’t learned enough about the evils of slavery.”

Mary Anne, who lived from 1801 to 1887, was at the forefront of the struggle to end centuries of injustice.

Members of SI’s Hallamshire and Sheffield branches took part in the clean-up at Zion Graveyard.

They were joined by Sheffield’s Master Cutler Richard Edwards and David Grey, managing director of the neighbouring firm G & J Hall which helped clear debris.

SI Yorkshire’s regional president Jennie Levick said: “Mary Anne’s opposition of slavery resonates with our members. Our regional anti-slavery group has been instrumental in raising awareness of modern-day slavery and human trafficking.”