United Resistance – three months of love & defiance
Cuadrilla claimed that they would begin fracking during the second quarter of 2018. As a result anti-fracking groups from Lancashire and elsewhere will come together to show both Cuadrilla and the Government that we will not tolerate this toxic industry that is being forced on us with absolutely no social licence.
Please don’t turn away, it really is you that can make all the difference to the people of Lancashire who are in urgent need of your help. We face a huge threat to our health, our children’s futures and the safety of the air and water we all depend on and share throughout the country. We have worked so hard for seven years to stop this industry and as a UK-wide movement, have grown, united, resisted and succeeded in halting any further fracking in the UK since the one and only fracking operation here in 2011. But now… we are so close we can sense the methane, feel the tingle of potential seismic activity and ache just knowing, what more could come.
The stress on our community reached its peak on 4th January 2017 when Cuadrilla came back and started development of a new site on the busy A583 (Preston New Road) and that stress has not eased in the many hundreds of days since. We residents and generous supporters who travel to support us, have gathered at the site every single day and used every lawful and non-violent method we could find to stop this industry from bringing industrialised danger to our doorsteps.
Drillers Cuadrilla are about nine months behind schedule (yay!) but we need to make this stop before it ruins even more lives and depletes and exhausts those of us who have had to put so much into this. Of course we cannot expect people to just stop working, stop providing for their families, stop tending to the needs of those who depend on them and join us each day… all we’re asking for is that when you book a break and some time off, that you think of us.
We have arranged a wonderful opportunity for anyone to find their way to help…. from banner waving, bearing witness or help with cooking and welfare – to non-violent direct actions and everything in-between. The … 3 months of Love & Defiance, divides up and distributes the hard work of daily activism into ‘niche weeks’ where groups take responsibility for a set Monday to Friday 8:30-18:00 period of time with the sole aim to resist fracking. You… can join on any day, stay for any period of time and all we ask is that you bring your very valuable self.
In return, we will provide a wonderful space at our ‘Community Hub’ (just 10 mins from the Cuadrilla site) for breakfast and evening meals (no cost) and deliver lunch at the roadside. We also have 3 camping areas (no cost) and of course as we’re so close to lovely Blackpool, plenty of B&B options nearby. The added extras you’ll enjoy should you join us include a huge sense of warm solidarity, self empowerment and a real sense of community and purpose… and the children will eternally be grateful that you stood for them.
Please do come and along and join us even if it is only for a few hours – numbers count!
A link to the United Resistance events is available here.