‘Do the Aethel’ with us and celebrate Tamworth’s history

This year Tamworth is going all out to celebrate the life of one of the most powerful and influential women in Anglo-Saxon England – and we want you to help spread the word about this great local legend.

It was on June 12, 918, that the warrior queen Aethelflaed, Tamworth’s Lady of the Mercians, took her last breath in the town before being finally laid to rest in St Oswald’s Priory in Gloucester, alongside her husband Aethelred.

The anniversary of the death of Aethelflaed will be marked with a number of major events, including the unveiling of a new six-metre statue which is due to be erected on a roundabout near Tamworth Railway Station this spring.

To celebrate the homecoming of the statue, which has been affectionately named ‘Our Aethel’, we’re asking people to join a social media campaign and #DotheAethel.

Simply take a picture of yourself, or with your friends, replicating the pose of the impressive steel statue and share it on social media with the hashtag #DotheAethel. The hope is that the campaign will attract attention across Tamworth and beyond to raise awareness of this incredible female warrior and the part she played in the making of England.

That means the bigger, the better. We’re looking for individuals, groups, businesses, schools and celebrities to join the celebrations and ‘Do the Aethel’, maybe even at an interesting event or location. 

We’ll be launching the campaign at this year’s St George’s Day festival in Tamworth Castle Grounds on Saturday, April 21, where the Knights of Middle England will lead a mass #DotheAethel ahead of the Medieval Grand Joust at 12pm.

To join in, share your pictures with us on social media, tagging @VisitTamworth, using #DotheAethel and #Tamworth.

We’re hoping as many people as possible will join and share the campaign on Twitter and Facebook so that people all over the country can find out about Aethelflaed as we build up to the unveiling of the statue (date to be confirmed) and a packed summer programme of events to celebrate this fascinating part of the town’s rich Anglo-Saxon history.

Events include the creation of the town’s biggest ever piece of community art, a major commemorative church service with VIPs and celebrities from across the country, talks, a special guided walk, a commemorative ale and an academic conference weekend drawing academics and delegates from all over the world. For more information about the weekend of events and full instructions on how to #DotheAethel, please visit www.aethelflaed.co.uk. .