I was deeply honoured to organise and oversee the unveiling of the statue to honour the memory of Sir David Amess. On Thursday 11th April I joined Lady Julia and members of the Amess family ahead of the ceremony on Chalkwell seafront, close to Chalkwell Lifeguards in Southend. Huge crowds of people flocked to the scene, an indication of just how much Sir David meant to everyone he served in his time here as MP.
We were delighted to be joined by the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, the Rt Hon Dame Priti Patel MP, David, The Lord Alton of Liverpool, Andrew Rosindell MP, Mark Menzies MP, the Mayor Cllr Stephen Habermel, other local councillors, the CEO and Directors from Southend City Council.
Ann Widdecombe delivered a touching statement from Lady Julia Amess which had many onlookers in tears. Andrew Rosindell spoke of Sir David's enormous influence in Westminster and shared anecdotes and memories from their time together as MPs.
Father Jeffrey Woolnough, the parish priest at St Peter's Catholic Church, close to where Sir David was killed, delivered prayers and a blessing before sprinkling the statue with holy water.
Lord Alton took the microphone to reminisce about his long friendship with Sir David and said that the Southend MP had 'given politics a good name'. He said that he and Sir David had shared the belief that 'every human being is unique and not expendable raw material, and they should be valued for who they are.'
Beautiful music was provided by the ladies from the Orpheus Choir and David Stanley from the Music Man Project who played piano while his choir performed some of Sir David's favourite pieces, ‘Peace & Hope’ & ‘Music is Magic’.
David Stanley spoke of how Sir David always championed the 'underdog' or those who had no voice. He recalled some years ago trying to organise a performance for his choir, comprised of people with learning difficulties, at the London Palladium and how his calls were never returned. There was an audible gasp as he recounted how as soon as he asked Sir David for help, the Palladium was instantly on the phone to him and the concert was booked!
After the main speeches I opened up the floor to anyone who wanted to say a few words in tribute to Sir David and was so pleased that the Rt Hon Dame Priti Patel felt moved to tell everyone what Sir David had meant to her personally. Of course Dame Priti had been Home Secretary when Sir David was attacked by an Islamic extremist while holding his weekly constituency surgery. She recounted the absolute horror and shock of taking the initial call from the police.
Once unveiled, the statue looked magnificent in the wonderful warm spring sunshine, positioned as it is, to give the impression of Sir David standing and looking out over the estuary, Southend Pier and the Crowstone, all of which were some of his favourite parts of the area.
The site, surrounded by rose bushes - Sir David’s favourite flowers - is clearly visible from the road, providing a reminder to all who pass it of one of Southend’s finest champions and public servants.
I was absolutely determined on succeeding Sir David, to raise the funds so that this permanent memorial could be made a reality. We are all hugely indebted to and grateful for the deep generosity of Dr Vijay Patel OBE, a businessman from Basildon who knew Sir David when he was MP there before he came to Southend West. I'm so glad that both Vijay and Andrew Lilley, the talented sculptor were there on Thursday to see the reactions and receive personal thanks from the hundreds of people who witnessed the unveiling.
