Our story

Thea Laurie and Fiona Garwood co-founded the campaign ‘A statue for Elsie Inglis’ in 2020.

They had the crazy idea, when covid postponed the planned history trip to visit the sites across Europe where Dr Elsie Inglis is still celebrated, that instead they would make sure that Elsie is remembered in her hometown in Edinburgh.

The Lord Provost, Frank Ross had previously started fundraising for a statue in 2017, following the anniversary to mark 100 years after Elsie had died.  With just £2400 raised so far, Thea and Fiona now decided to make this a reality.

Team Elsie came to life.

The aim is to ‘A statue for Elsie Inglis.’  The site for the statue, already agreed by Edinburgh City Council, near to the High Street at the original maternity hospital ‘The Hospice’ set up by Elsie in 1904 for ordinary women and babies. Elsie would become the first woman to be commemorated with a statue on the Royal Mile.

After two years of working hard behind the scenes, the first round of a two week fundraising campaign began in March 2022.

Highlights of the events taking place from across Edinburgh from The City Chambers to St Giles Cathedral, The French Institute, St Andrews and St Georges Church, Dine Restaurant - even to the Outhouse Pub included well-known speakers - Prof Linda Bauld, Hugh Pym, archivists, novelist Sara Sheridan, descendants of Elsie Inglis and Jenni Minto MSP as she led a Cross Party Debate supporting the campaign in the Scottish Parliament.

Planning for second phase of fundraising plus research to commission a statue to understand the process from inspiration to installation is now underway.