Our e-petition to get a debate on the future of driven grouse shooting started on 20 March and ends on 20 September – so let’s call this half time. Have a sit down, suck on a lemon, put on a clean shirt, clean your studs, check your shin guards and it’s up and at ’em for another three months!
44,000+ signatures achieved – only 55,000+ to go! It’s a good job that in both football and rugby more goals/points are scored in the second half than the first. So let it be with our e-petition!
July will be the month of leaflets. Please get in touch with me ([email protected]) if you think you could handle 1000 leaflets asking people to sign our e-petition. You can put leaflets through people’s letter boxes and hand them out in a building without any permission from local councils. Handing them out on the street probably doesn’t require a licence either but it might – I’m looking into it. Since the leaflets would not be selling anything or raising money then they may be exempt from any licensing process – but if not the licence is a location-specific thing. Red tape? The EU didn’t invent it!
I already have 5000 leaflets printed for use in the Yorkshire Dales – here they are…
…and this is what one side looks like….
and the other side like this…
…but these are just first attempts.
Fancy something similar for your area? Get in touch.
I’m working with others on a generic version that could be used anywhere in the UK, and also working on various designs and messages. And working on downloadable versions that you could print out ad lib.
Thanks to those of you who contributed to this appeal – this is where some of your money is going.
[registration_form]
Happy to have a supply on our stand at this year’s BirdFair Mark, of course I would push them too! We are in Marquee 1 stand 30.
Hi Mark – re leaflet design. Most ordinary people, like my friends and relations, aren’t that fussed about birds. Sad but true. So it’s well worthwhile including info about flooding, carbon storage, water bills. I suspect that the general public might find these, esp flooding/insurance bills, more persuasive motivators.
Hi Mark,
I assume we will have leaflets available to hand out on HHDay?
Talking to the locals on Sunday it seems that the village will be very busy with walkers & campers on the 7th August, a great opportunity to get more people on side.
I agree with jbc that talking about other issues surrounding DGS would increase interest.
Sad but true Jbc.
I suspect there must be a reason you’ve not already done so but perhaps consider signpost them to Standing up for nature or BAWC website for more info?
Would it be pushing it to far to hand out the leaflets at a busy RSBP reserve, say Bempton, Titchwell.
I wonder if they would support or not wish to be connected. Might be interesting to find out. Certainly be up for a day or two handing them out if we can get permission.
As Jbc says above, most people not bothered either way so think best value for buck would be to target an audience who are already halfway there.
I’d rather hand out 100 leaflets and talk to people than see a thousand wasted.
Also need to get permission to hand out at entrance to Birdfair. Guess you’d have more clout at that one Mark.
Good idea, Paul – I would be happy to do that too, if it were permitted.
A generic one as I am in the Wirral.
Maybe you could include some information on the fact that our tax pounds help subsidize this destruction.
Some stuff from my pre-disability campaigning days.
You can shove leaflets under wipers in carparks too, no permission needed in open air or on-street or free-to-park multistoreys. Pay-to-park multi-story carparks generally need permission from the operator -because private companies like to charge promoters for this-,but if it is unmanned then by the time they notice you’ll be long gone and the worst they can do is kick you out anyway.
A good tip for stuffing cars is to always use the rear wiper if available. Those tend to get discarded the least. Especially if the car is backed into a space. Also use the passenger side front wiper, not the driver’s. If someone has cracked a window then write on the leaflet “Safety advice: open windows make it easy for thieves” and shove it through. The reason for writing it is that it is a bit of cover to prevent any complaints to the law that people are shoving advertising leaflets through windows, which is not allowed.
If you are a bit brave then throw on a reflective hi-vis vest or jacket and try handing them out in your local pub-and-club part of town at chucking out time. Trust me, this works most of the chucking outs are too drunk to do anything but instinctively stick the leaflet in their bag or pocket, and they tend to read them the next day while they are getting over the hangover. It is a brave move (you will get a bit of abuse, and may get thrown up on, and you have to have a high tolerance for putting up with drunks) but it has reasonable success. The local cops will probably be supportive of that, but they will expect you to keep a cool head and help them with the drunks if they need it, because you are seen as free manpower.
There are lots of places with info desks, now generally they are not the best place to leave info because people rarely use them, but if you have some spares then just walk in and put yours down and walk away again. Chances are the staff are so used to seeing leaflets and booklets lying around they won’t even clock yours are different. The trick is not to fuss around, have the bundle in your hand before you walk in, wear smart casual, and don’t hurry too much but don’t be slow either. If you’ve left the rubber band on the leaflet then just leave it on the desk with the band still on. But try and remember to take the band off before you go in. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself doing this. Try dropping a couple in places like tyre and exhaust shops or bookies too, non-traditional campaigning areas where people are always looking for something to read while they wait are good opportunities.
—
Can I suggest for the leaflets that you highlight the “Please sign the petition” (take out the “e-” bit from the front of petition, it looks more formal that way) section in a different colour to make it stand out. Not the font, but say put it in white text, larger font, within a green box marked “What Can You Do” because then it is being more directive and less passive. Include a link to writetothem.com saying they can write to their MP directly via that site asking them to support the petition.
If you haven’t already, add in that most support so far has been from rural seats (don’t say Scottish, lot of low level anti-Scottish feeling still around and it would work against you, just say rural) with grouse moors, but you need help from everyone no matter where they are (the advice above about making it into a possible flood insurance cost is a sound one, as well as playing up the animal cruelty angle). That way you’ll dispel the townies-vs-countrysiders myth in advance.
Mark, Dunsop Bridge is located at the heart of the Forest of Bowland where much of the raptor persecution has been taken place. No nesting Peregrines or Hen Harriers this season, but people who visit the region each Sunday will recognise the Hen Harrier as the logo for this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We would be pleased to hand out your brochures on Hen Harrier Day 7 August in Dunsop Bridge. Just let me know the postage for say 200 and I will add this into the pot to help cover expenses.
Has anyone considered placing a full page advertisement in the RSPB magazine detailing the plight of our Hen Harriers and how members could help by signing the petition?
‘Has anyone considered placing a full page advertisement in the RSPB magazine detailing the plight of our Hen Harriers and how members could help by signing the petition’
That’s an extremely good idea, Terry.
Not cheap; Full page 286×216 plus 4mm bleed £10,950
And unfortunately not feasible (for this petition) due to copy deadlines;
Copy Publish
Autumn 2015 4 June 10 July
Winter 2015 20 August 1 October
Note the details (above) given on the RSPB website (http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/natureshomemediapack_tcm9-348765.pdf) are for 2015. I assume if they had been changed for 2016 that they would have been changed on the website. Doubtful that the Autumn date would have changed by much but I suppose it might be worth checking directly with them;
http://www.rspb.org.uk/about/run/businessinfo/advertising.aspx
[email protected] (advertising contractor)
Perhaps if there is a Ban Driven Grouse Shooting 4 petition we could raise enough funds to do it. I wonder if the wonderful people at Lush, Birdwatch, Rare Bird Alert, LACS…. would be interested in sponsoring such an advert. I think it would be a benefit to the petition to have their association.
I’d love to be proven wrong, but I suspect this campaign will only succeed when it can’t be dismissed as ‘just a bunch of birders banging on about hen harriers’.
In which case, it needs to have wider appeal to a broader coalition of supporters. Especially all those thousands of tourists who are the lifeblood of the economy in National Parks.
Maybe we should be asking them what they want from our National Parks – a safe place for wildlife, or the opportunity for a priviliged few to blast wild birds out of the sky?
Countryfile Live is at Blenheim Palace around Hen Harrier Day (4-7 August https://www.countryfilelive.com/). Knowing the BBC’s reputation for balance, I guess they wouldn’t have a problem with a generic version being handed out *innocent face*?
100 Club Update
Leeds North West
The 11th Yorkshire member (with one over 200 signatures) with another 8 waiting in the wings;
East Yorkshire (99), York Outer (98), Harrogate and Knaresborough (95), Beverley and Holderness (93), Leeds North East (92), Shipley (92), Keighley (90), Sheffield, Heeley (90)
100 Club: 11 (1 over 200)
90’s: 8
Total: 19
Cf. Scotland (similar population level/number of consituencies)
100 Club: 14 (1 over 200)
90’s: 3
Total: 17
I think hen harrier persecution is powerful and simple thing to communicate. Lots of people do like birds and that photo of a male looks stunning and so I think it would make a very useful leaflet. If I was handing them out or delivering them to homes I would think a 2nd leaflet with maybe 10 reasons to ban driven grouse shooting could increase the appeal. I think a Chris Packham or Bill Oddie quote could be good addition too.
I like the idea of promoting the petition to specific audiences too. I think this could be best done via online and social media advertising. Just changing a photograph could make a huge difference to who it appeals to.
Another advantage of online advertising is that people are just one or two clicks from signing the petition when they see the advert. Having a Ban Driven Grouse Shooting page or site to link to I think could be very useful.