Sunday, 17 April 2011

"No More Torture, No More Lies" - Reflections on the World Day for Animals In Laboratories March and Rally

Listening to speeches in Whitworth Park
Yesterday I joined hundreds of fellow activists for the annual World Day for Animals In Laboratories march and rally, this year held in Manchester.

The group I went with arrived sometime just after midday, joining the large gathering in Whitworth park, where there were various stalls with vegan food, campaign materials, t-shirts etc, and the speeches - and some poetry. After these the march left the park, down Oxford Road. At first, there didn't seem to be much chanting, but soon enough those with megaphones were leading us with shouts of "No more torture, no more lies - Every six seconds, an animal dies" and "Close down the animal labs!"

As we reached Manchester University, the chant turned to "Shame, shame, shame on you!" Manchester Univiersity are one of many Univiersities in the country who carry out animal experiments. A two minutes' silence was held to remember all of the animals who have been killed because of vivisection, and to think about all of those millions of animals still suffering in labs right now.

After the silence, the march continued through Manchester, with protesters banging on drums, blowing whistles, shouting down megaphones, or chanting the various anti-vivisection chants.

Around two hours after we set off from Whitworth Park, we arrived in Albert Square. There were more speeches. Listening to information about the torture inflicted on animals is heartbreaking, but we need to be armed with these details if we're to get the largely apathetic public, as well as politicians and scientists, to realise that vivisection is cruel and unnecessary.

This was the first World Day march I've been on. We got our message out there - after all, how could the thousands of shoppers we marched by ignore our placards, leaflets, banners, costumes and chanting?! But, of course, we don't leave it here. We simply can't forget the animals' suffering. We must keep campaigning with activities such as more demos, info stalls, leafletting and letter writing. 
We must do what we can for the animals.

Sunday, 10 April 2011

Leafleting: Door Dropping Leaflets

I wrote a little "Guide to Leafleting" a while back and posted it on a message board, where it got a good response. This post is based on the section about door dropping leaflets from that guide. If anyone has any comments, e.g. legal info or general tips, please share!

Door dropping is where you post a leaflet through a letterbox in someone's door. It's used by many people for advertising businesses or for campaign purposes.
 You have what is known as an "implied license" to door drop. If you didn't, you wouldn't get mail, free newspapers and other random leaflets through the door! If someone asks you to leave their property (e.g. their front path) you must oblige, or else you are trespassing.

Avoid door dropping in the same area too often. Not only will it potentially annoy people who may view the leaflets as "junk mail" after a while, you might as well door drop in other places to spread the message further. I don't door drop the same houses more than a few times a year. Be sure that you don't leave leaflets hanging out of letterboxes so they can be seen, as a leaflet left like this is a sign that a house is empty (i.e. the occupants are on holiday), leaving them more open to the risk of theft. And remember to leave things as you left them - if a gate was closed, close it once you're done!

While I think directly handing people leaflets is more effective as you can talk to them about the issues, door dropping is really quick and easy and can be done as you walk to the shops, to a friend's house etc. In about 15 minutes you could have covered around 40+ houses. That's 40+ households, many of which will have more than one occupant, who you are giving the chance to be informed about important issues. I'm not going to pretend that some of the leaflets we distribute don’t end up going straight in the bin, but I'm positive that some people read them, and hopefully take on board what they say.

Don't door drop anything with graphic imagery (e.g. of animals being slaughtered) in case a child picks it up. If you feel you really need to door drop such materials, place the leaflet in an envelope, or at the very least make sure it is well folded. I feel it's best not to door drop leaflets with graphic imagery at all. Be aware of leaflet content by being careful there's nothing libelous, threatening, or anything else that could land you in trouble. If you're using leaflets from the "main" organisations then it should be OK as they will have checked the content is legal, but still have a read through before distributing. Of course, you should be reading through the leaflet anyway so you know the issue!

Door dropping is also really good if you're a bit nervous about directly giving out leaflets as it usually doesn't involve communicating with anyone.

I definitely recommend you door drop leaflets with someone. Firstly, it'll be quicker and you'll be able to leaflet more houses. Secondly, it's safer in case there's the unlikely event someone is angry because they disagree with the leaflet or don't like you being on their property. I've never had a problem when door dropping leaflets, but I strongly advise you don't go on your own.

Recently, someone showed me a technique for pushing leaflets through letterboxes. Use a large wooden spoon to push the leaflet (which you fold over the spoon end) through. It can help get it through and is often safer, too. If there's an excited dog on the other side of the letterbox, I'd much rather they grabbed the wooden spoon poking through than my fingers. It can make door dropping slightly slower as you have to take a moment to fold the leaflet round the spoon each time, but now I've been shown this method, I'm definitely sticking with it.

Basically, door dropping leaflets is a simple way to quickly distribute campaign materials, so go for it!

Saturday, 9 April 2011

Easter Nests


With Easter just over two weeks away, I deiced to try making some Eastery treats!
These Easter nests are really simple to make. There are various ways to make them - I went for the recipe from the wonderful
Vegan Family website
(That page has some other good recipes for Easter treats  - in fact the site has lots of great recipes!)

 I ended up using Whizzer's chocolate beans rather than their mini eggs as I couldn't get hold of any! I used melted Humdinger's chocolate buttons to mix with the Weetabix which worked pretty well - I did try using dark chocolate but it wasn't as good.
You can also use cornflakes or rice crispies instead of broken up wheat biscuits.

Why You Shouldn't Bet On Lives

20 horses have died on the Grand National course since 2000.

It's not just the Grand National race that claims race horses' lives:
  • Out of approximately 18,000 foals who are born into the British and Irish racing industries each year, only 40% will get to the race track. Some of the foals who don't make it are sent to slaughter.
  • The horses kept to produce these foals are forced to endure a life of boredom, manipulation using drugs and artificial lighting to control and speed up reproduction, and long periods of isolation. Their misery can go on for more than 20 years.
  • For the 7,500 horses who leave British racing every year, the future is often bleak, with few getting the decent retirement they deserve.
  • Around 420 horses are raced to death every single year
PLEASE DON'T BET ON LIVES - BOYCOTT HORSE RACING


Friday, 8 April 2011

Street Collections

Street collections are a great way to raise funds for charities and non-profit organisations.


So far, I've helped with two Animal Aid street collections. Many charities and non-profit orgs will be very active in helping you arrange your street collection, so don't let the thought of lots of form filling put you off organising one! Animal Aid list upcoming street collections and info on how to arrange a street collection for them on their website here.


You do need permission to hold a street collection for any charity or organisation. Again, Animal Aid and some other groups will be able to arrange this for you.



Helping with street collection
 Holding a street collection is obviously a really great way to raise funds for your chosen cause. It also is important for raising awareness, too. On both collections I've been involved with, we've had an info table with leaflets, booklets and petitions, and those of us stood away from the table would have a handful of leaflets as well (ones about the general work of whoever you're fundraising for works well). So, you're raising funds, you're letting people know that your chosen charity / org exists, and you're letting people know about the issues your chosen charity / org is involved with. It is good activism. And I honestly do enjoy it, too. I like getting to talk to people about Animal Aid and the issues. It's wonderful when you realise that the leaflet you just handed them, or what you just told them seems to have made them think more about an issue.


Tips for Street Collections


While I'm still a bit of a street collection newbie, here's a few things I've picked up from my experience:
  • The more the merrier! In a small town centre or supermarket entrance, you obviously don't want to swamp the place with people collecting, but when you've got a large area, having a good number of people rather than just one or two does help. Again, some charities / orgs will tell their members and / or list upcoming street collections on their website, which really helps with getting more people onboard.
  • Outreach. Fundraising for your chosen cause is the main aim, but it's definitely worth doing some outreach at the same time. Having a street stall and getting people with collection tins to hold some leaflets lets people know about the issues. Having a stall also works well for drawing people over, many of whom will then go on to donate. Please do check though what the rules are for having a stall in the place you're collecting. Most places tend to be fine with it, but it's best to check if you're not sure.
  • Know your stuff. That's key for all activism though really, isn't it? Even if you're not distributing any leaflets and are simply collecting money, some people still like to know where their money's going. When campaign materials are being given out, knowing the issues is even more important. On the recent collection I did, we had petitions about banning the Grand National (chosen as the race is only a week away). We had leaflets about why people shouldn't support horse racing, but even though these can be given to those who questioned the petition to explain our reasoning, it is more effective when we actually give them a basic overview - we still give the leaflet to back up what we're saying. The issues people are perhaps most likely to ask about are the ones on the petitions, and sometimes the ones on any posters you have by the table as well. These are the issues you should definitely be able to talk about. Other topics will almost definitely be brought up, too, so make sure you know your stuff!
  • Don't stand in people's way. Firstly, and understandably, it annoys people. Getting through a town centre on a busy day can be a bit of a battle at times, so makes sure people can easily get by. Secondly, obstructing the highway is illegal. What counts as an obstruction is a bit subjective - aren't many advertising boards put out by businesses causing obstructions? Regardless of this, you should be aware of how easily people can get by.
  • Positioning. While you're making sure you're not obstructing the highway, you still need to make sure people notice you! Stand somewhere busy, but with space for people to get by easily.
  • One way to get noticed is by wearing an animal costume. It makes you hard to miss!
  • Thank people when they donate. Obvious, I know! It shows them their contribution - however big or small - is appreciated, and anyone nearby who notices may potentially be more inclined to give, too. The person who's donated will leave with a positive view of the charity / org.
  • Represent your chosen cause well. When doing a street collection, you are representing that charity / org. To some of the public, you may be the first person they meet who's linked to that cause, so making a good impression is key.
  • The law. Read through your street collection permit, or ask whoever's organising the collection what the specific rules are. Also, definitely worth looking at is Animal Aid's guide. Read Animal Aid's guide to street collections, leafleting and the law
  • Enjoy it! You'll be talking to people about issues you care about while raising all important funds.
If you have any tips, advice, experiences of street collections you'd like to share, please feel free to comment.

Monday, 4 April 2011

Vegan Easter

Easter seems to be sneaking up, so if you're planning on buying Easter gifts, now's the time to get them if you haven't already!

The range and availability of vegan Easter products seems to be on the rise. Supermarkets sometimes stock suitable Easter eggs, often in the Free From section. I stumbled upon a reasonable range of vegan Easter chocolates in Sainsbury's Free From section a few days ago, with Humdinger chocolate rabbits (really nice!), and a couple of dairy-free Easter eggs.
I'm lucky that my local health food / organic shop always has a good selection of vegan products, and saw earlier today that they have the Moo Free easter egg, which is a really nice chocolate egg (no, I couldn't wait till Easter to try it!).

If you're not having any luck with supermarkets and other shops, there's lots of vegan Easter products online.


http://www.animalaidshop.org.uk/  -  Moo Free, Divine, Booja Booja and Montezuma are some of the brands on here. I definitely recommend the Animal Aid online shop for the good selection of chocolates, books, stationary, cosmetics, shoes, and lots of other cruelty free items. The money goes to Animal Aid's work campaigning against animal cruelty.

http://www.vivashop.org.uk/  -  Again, nice range of Easter chocolates, plus other cruelty free products, with money raised going to Viva!'s campaigns.

http://veganstore.co.uk/  -  Lots of chocolates for Easter on here, plus other cruelty free items.

http://www.ethical-treats.co.uk/shop/  -  Good range of cruelty free Easter chocolates and sweets.

Saturday, 2 April 2011

Some Useful Links....

Some sites for vegans and animal rights activists...

http://www.veggies.org.uk/  -  GREAT site. Definitely check out the Animal Rights Calendar regularly as it lists lots of upcoming demos, cruelty free fayres, meetings, and the like. Also look on the Directory for info on groups in the UK - useful if you're looking for a local group to join.

http://www.happycow.net/  -  Lots of good stuff on here. I mainly use it for finding places to eat. They list lots of vegan, vegetarian, and vegan and vegetarian friendly eateries around the world. I've found some good places through the site, and the reviews help with deciding where's worth visiting and where's best avoided.

http://www.studentsagainstanimalcruelty.org.uk/  -  Useful site for any students. Lots of info on campaigning on campus, plus a few vegan recipes, too.

The following are some of the campaigning groups in the UK:

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/ 

http://www.viva.org.uk/

http://www.captiveanimals.org/

http://uncaged.co.uk/

http://www.vegansociety.com/

http://buav.org.uk/

http://peta.org.uk/
I know that's just scratching the surface of what there is, so what other good vegan / animal rights sites does anyone know of?