Something about Mary for Newington Green?

It's the last week to help Newington Green Action Group win a £6,000 grant for a statue of feminist pioneer Mary Wollstonecraft on Newington Green.

The charity's project Mary on the Green is a contender in NatWest's CommunityForce programme, a funding initiative for local charities. Members of the public have until Sunday 23 October to vote online for local projects, with the winners awarded £6,000.

Local historian and NGAG spokesman Alex Allardyce is urging as many people as possible to get behind the group's bid. "It would be an art work to see and would bring visitors into the area" he adds. "It would also reinforce Newington Green's history as an area that was always fighting for social justice."

Formed in 1997, the work of the NGAG helped bring about the regeneration of Newington Green to its current physical state. The group now encourages further community developments, as well as organising events such as last July's Jazz on the Green.

The way I see it is that the group has made this beautiful cake and now they want a cherry on top," adds Roberta Wedge, Wollstonecraft enthusiast and supporter of the scheme.

Mother of Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-97) set up a school in Newington Green after moving to the area in 1784, aged 25. The area's intellectual climate helped form her views on women's equality, education and politics.

"This is a location that was a turning point in her life. She came here a nobody and left with a book under way," Wedge says. "Here she had the chance to see the world through political eyes."

• To see the bid and vote

  online, visit http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/2478

• For more information

  about the project and donations see www.maryonthegreen.org