The Society’s summer’s Aphra Behn Statue Campaign reached to a glorious climax at the Grand Fundraising Dinner on Saturday 16 July. 80 guests were royally entertained by Matthew Townshend, Alexandre Gilbreath and a hilariously successful act of auctioneering by Bargain Hunt’s Charlie Ross. All four maquettes were sold for good prices, and the silent auction and raffle helped bring the total raised to an estimated £40,000. With the money already donated by generous supporters, we are now well on the way to seeing Aphra standing proud in the centre of Canterbury in 2023 – a monument to our city’s most notable daughter and a bright beacon for the future.