A CAMPAIGN to build a statue depicting two famous Colchester poets has received a chunk of funding from a long-established law firm in the city.

Ellison’s Solicitors, which has offices in Head Street, has made a £1,000 donation which will go towards a statue of Jane and Ann Taylor, who were prolific writers of children’s poems in the 1800s.

Jane Taylor, who lived in West Stockwell Street with her sister, penned the well-known lullaby “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in 1806 – and High Steward of Colchester Sir Bob Russell has been fundraising for a statue to be built to commemorate both writers.

With Ellison’s Solicitors having made the £1,000 donation, it means a total of £60,000 has now been donated or pledged to build the statue, which will stand diagonally opposite the Town Hall, near the corner of Pelham’s Lane.

Read more:

• Colchester attack victim suffered serious haed injuries

• Great Tey farmer Peter Fairs on his struggle against thieves

• Braintree police officer sees £3k raised for cancer charity

With a total of £80,000 needed at the beginning of the project, a further £20,000 of donations or pledges are now required for the statue – a mould of which has already been made in clay – to come to fruition.

Sir Bob, who was the Member of Parliament for Colchester between 1997 and 2015, welcomed the donation from the legal firm, adding the statue would be a valued tourist attraction for the city.

He said: “I am grateful to Ellisons for their donation of £1,000, the first by any Colchester business and one which I hope will encourage other local businesses to follow.

“I am now just £20,000 short of what is needed for the statue to be cast in bronze – the statue was made in clay earlier this year and a mould of this has been made.”

He added: “I thought that the literary work of Jane and her sister Ann should be commemorated with a statue, which I believe will be a significant tourist attraction.

“I am sure it will benefit Colchester’s retail and hospitality venues.

“The donation from Ellisons is a wonderful boost as I seek to raise the remaining money so that the statue can be unveiled to coincide with Colchester becoming a city.”

Donations to the fund can be made via www.gofundme.com/f/twinkle-star-statue.