Press Release For Immediate Release

The Australia Magna Carta Embroidery - commemorating the spread of law and order throughout the world

The Australia panel of the twelve-panel Magna Carta embroidery is completed. The latest exquisitely embroidered, highly detailed panel in this high profile project that tells the story of how the abiding principles of the Magna Carta influenced and are the basis of common law in many countries, including Australia. To this day, the Magna Carta is still quoted by Australians when representing themselves in court.

Australia is one of only two countries outside of the UK to own a copy of the Magna Carta, which was bought from the King's School in Somerset in 1952 for £12500, it is now priceless and on permanent display in Parliament House, Canberra.

Rhoda Nevins, a member of the Royal School of Needlework was commissioned by Runnymede Borough Council to design and embroider this twelve-panel embroidery to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta.

The twelve panels Magna Carta Embroidery project are a pictorial representation of important people and events in both the charter towns and in the countries that have adopted the principles of the Magna Carta throughout the world.

The Project is attracting a lot of interest from all over the UK and the rest of the world and the panels will be on display at various venues throughout the year.

The Australia Panel

The Australia panel features important events in Australian history and how Britain came to Australia and how it left.

The Australia Panel features:

• The Australian and Aboriginal flags. The Aboriginal flag was designed as a symbol of unity and national identity during the land rights movement of the early 1970s.

• Captain Cook - 1770 James Cook arrived on the HMS Endeavour and charted the eastern coast and claimed it as British Terriroty

• Throughout the embroidery, you can see the native animals of the continent, including Koalas, Wallabies, Kangaroos and Emus.

• Shackled prisoners - in 1788 the first 736 prisoners were banished from England and transported to the "land down under", where Australia became a penal colony until 1823.

• Uluru/Ayers Rock - A UNESCO World Heritage site, this large sandstone rock formation is sacred to thesacred to the Anagu, the Aboriginal people of the area

• An Aborigine playing a didgeridoo. The indigenous population are thought to have been in Australia for up to 80,000 years before it was colonised.

• The Commonwealth Coat of Arms, is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia

• The Parliament Building

• Australia became a Federation on January 1^st1901 when it became an independent nation.

Rhoda has designed the panels to depict the important historical events that led up to the sealing of the Magna Carta in Charter Towns throughout the UK. Each Magna Carta Trust town has its own panel, these include Runnymede, Bury St Edmunds, St Albans, the City of London, Canterbury and Hereford. Five other panels will depict how the Magna Carta influenced the spread of law and order throughout the world from 1215 to the present day, with panels for America, Canada, Australia, India and South Africa. There is an additional panel comprising all the shields of the 25 barons who were present at the sealing.

"This project has really taken off and it's very exciting to be working on this project. We are involved in many of the events to celebrate the sealing of the Magna Carta and hope that as many people as possible will be able to see the embroideries which I hope have created a pictorial legacy of this most important event in our history", says Rhoda.

Ends

For further information and jpegs please contact: Caroline Ratner, Caroline Ratner Communicationscaroline@carolinecoms.com020 8209 0120

Our Facebook is constantly updated with information about the embroidery and forthcoming Magna Carta events https://www.facebook.com/magnacartaembroidery

www.softimpressions.com

Notes to Editors

The Magna Carta Tapestry was commissioned by Runnymede council where the Magna Carta was sealed by King John. Pictured above, initial design for one of the panels and close up detail. For more pictures please go to dropbox link which includes pictures of Rhoda, the Guildford embroidery. There are more pictures being added all the time.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hhp9dmrr2rxurio/5kZ5l_GF1iMagna Carta

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3x5q9t0ldjj7zvk/1xQoXNpjA8Rhoda Nevins

https://www.dropbox.com/s/aegh8csui2i0xb1/Guildford%20Embroidery.jpgGuildford

https://www.facebook.com/magnacartaembroidery

For further information about the Magna Carta 800^th celebrations http://magnacarta800th.com/ the official website for the celebrations HMH The Queen is the Patron.

More information on the Magna Carta - the cornerstone of British Liberty on the British Library website http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/

About Rhoda Nevins

The past few years have been busy for Rhoda, she has completed a magnificent piece depicting the skyline of the town of Guildford which was presented to the Town memory of her late husband, a former mayor of Guildford. She also helped to embroidered one of the official Olympic quilts that were gifted to each country competing in the 2012 games. She has been presented to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on a visit to Southwark Cathedral as part of the team that embroidered Jubilee vestments for the Bishop of Southwark and his Area Bishops. Rhoda also takes private commissions as well as commissioned to work on larger public projects.