Lady with the Lamp to Shine Again

A North West nursing academic from Edge Hill University has called for the restoration of a Florence Nightingale statue, located in Toxteth, in time for the centenary of her death in 2010. The head of the statue was damaged some years ago and other cosmetic work is required to restore the monument to its former glory.

Chris Jones, Senior Lecturer at Edge Hill University's Faculty of Health, is leading the campaign to have the statue, on Princes Avenue restored as a mark of respect for the woman who did so much to improve the health of Liverpudlians in the late 19th Century. Chris believes that, following a period of intense lobbying, there is now real enthusiasm for the project by Liverpool City Council.

"It would be a crying shame if this lady?s work in Liverpool wasn?t recognised for the centenary of her death," commented Chris. "Florence Nightingale was a pioneering healthcare specialist who did so much to help the people of Liverpool at a time when the health of the region was a national disgrace, and I believe we should be doing more to honour her memory."

During the early part of the nineteenth century, Liverpool?s population was growing at an enormous rate, but health infrastructure didn?t improve as quickly. To remedy this, Florence Nightingale sent 12 graduates from the first intake from her school at St Thomas Hospital, London, to Liverpool, to care for the sick and poor people from the city?s workhouse - one of the largest in the country. The scheme was designed to revolutionise the way in which patients in workhouses were treated as, up until that time, the sick were treated by untrained paupers and vagabonds.

This scheme was the first time sick people in workhouses would have access to trained nurses, and Nightingale sent Agnes Jones to oversee the process. The concept was enthusiastically welcomed and favourably compared with the old system by commentators in the satirical magazine 'Porcupine.?

Chris added: "I don?t think it would cost more than a couple of thousand pounds to restore the statue. With the City of Culture status almost upon us, I think it's the least we can do to commemorate her invaluable work. I?ve been in touch with Liverpool City Council and their response was encouraging. My understanding is that there is every chance that the work will be done, but I will continue to lobby them to ensure that it is carried out."