Climate Chaos – Page 109

Students Target Unethical Career Corporatism

On Monday 20th October the annual AISEC Careers fair commenced at Nottingham University, featuring many organisations with despicable or at least dubious ethical credentials and social-responsibility records, including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Qinetiq, E.On, BP, RBS, MoD and the army. The fair also featured some student activists and Grim Reapers who had made an appearance in order to remind fellow students of the deadly consequences of working in the arms trade or climate change industry.

AISEC claim to be ‘the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society.’ The organisation also claims to envision “Peace and fulfillment of humankind’s potential.” Despite this, at Nottingham, the organisations’ main endeavor appears to be to give a platform to arms dealers! For more see: http://www.aiesec.org/

Concerned about the presence of such unethical corporate entities and the glaring hypocrisy of AISEC, a group of students came together with the aim of raising awareness of the unethical nature of many of the companies at the fair and oppose the general presence of mechanisms of the capitalist death machine.

The morning began with fliering at various stalls, collecting of shiny corporate merch, and using up the representatives time. Nottingham University Security were being their usual oppressive selves and tried to prevent the students from fliering near the glossy corporate stalls. Threats of calling the police were also issued. The students also had a permanent stall next to the army (courtesy of One World Week) from which alternative information about companies, personal discussion and careers guides could be disseminated. When the army rep left his stall, a couple of students kindly stepped in to fill his role and invite students to ‘join the imperial death machine’.

In the afternoon four Grim Reapers appeared and went to pay a visit to the stalls of BAE and Rolls-Royce, much to the amusement of passers-by and bewilderment of corporate representatives. Simultaneously, a rather unambiguous banner was dropped in the main access stairwell of the building reading ‘BAE KILL’. The four reapers loitered at BAE and Rolls-Royces stalls for an hour or so handing our fliers and chatting to students and reps, before doing a mini-tour of other dubious corporate outfits in Portland Building (E.On, BP, Qinetiq). University Security reacted initially with ‘you lot have to leave or we’ll call the police’, one BAE rep intervened to assure security “it’s cool, they’re Ok”. Security later changed their line to ‘please take off your masks it’s causing intimidation’, and finally, meekly asked ‘can you please stop filming’, before eventually leaving the students to do their thing. A combination of knowledge about basic rights and the fact that they were armed with a video camera successfully protected the protesters from any silly games that security may have wished to play. Thankfully, this time, freedom of expression and the right to protest prevailed.

Some interesting discussions were had with some of the representatives. One BAE rep was heard to proclaim ‘Free Palestine’, despite working for a company that has provided parts for Israeli military equipment (notably electronics for the F-16 fighter aircraft) and also subcontracted work to Israel. The same rep also confessed feeling slightly guilty about working for BAE, despite being at the Careers fair precisely with the purpose of trying to convince others to do the same thing! A Qinetiq representative admitted that he felt the student protesters were doing a good thing, and was ultimately somewhat envious of the passion they clearly had for this issue. He also suggested that the student s should be targeting Airbus and the MoD additionally.

An eventful time was had by all, especially BAE’s reps! E.ON were the only company to actively complain about the student protests (as far as we know), the moody gits! Clearly various teddies were thrown out of various power-stations. On Tuesday, the second day of the fair, the vast majority of the REALLY immoral companies were not present.

For an awesome video of the action see: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VfJ8geHkaRk

EDF Exposed – LRT action

20 October 2008
London Rising Tide’s Greenwash Guerillas Brigade, Detection Platoon #1, moved into action this morning at 08:00 hours – targeting dirty great energy corporation Électricité de France (EDF) at the central London headquarters (HQ) of their UK subsidiary EDF Energy.

London Rising Tide used to meet fortnightly, but the wild success of the massive Climate Camp 08 outside the Kingsnorth coal-fired power station [1] has boosted the veteran climate change campaign to even higher levels of participation and direct action. I attended a ‘Film Night for Newcomers’ on Thu 18 Sep 08, as did a whole bunch of folks new to Rising Tide, and such was the upswing of enthusiasm, energy and creativity, we’ve been meeting weekly ever since.

Inspired by our sisters and brothers in France demonstrating against new nuclear power, we chose to target EDF’s attempts to muscle in their FALSE nuclear solution to the looming disaster of catastrophic climate chaos. Testing the mettle of seasoned campaigners, we newbies chose 08:00-09:00 on a Monday morning to kick up a stink about the dangers to the biosphere, humanity, and REAL renewable energy solutions posed by the nuclear fission industry rearing its ugly head.

And inspired by the response of our Argentinean sisters and brothers to having their life savings stolen by the banks, we made ours a Noize Demo [2] – pots and pans, whistles and samba bells echoed off the blank face of the bland corporate architecture at No.40 Grosvenor Place, drawing the attention of EDF bosses inside and thousands of pedestrians, cyclists, bus+coach passengers, van+truck drivers, and motorists outside to the greenwash bullshit leaking out of their stone-n-glass bastion. And in return, scores of vehicle horns saluted our protest, sounding a general public approval for protest against Nuclear Capital’s dirty machinations for new nukes.

If you feel inspired to take action for a future free from the threat of catastrophic climate chaos, you’ll be welcomed with open arms and a cup of something hot and refreshing at London Rising Tide’s next meeting: Thu 23 Oct 08, 19:30 to 21:00, at the London Action Resource Centre (LARC), 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, London E1 1ES – and down t’pub after (optional ;-).

—-

For immediate release
Climate activists to target EDF

Photo opportunity: 20 October 2008 8.30am, 40 Grosvenor Place, London

On Monday 20 October climate activists calling themselves the Greenwash Guerrillas will be on hand to detect “dangerous levels of radioactivegreen hypocrisy”[1] eminating from the london offices of pro-nuclear lobbiests EDF.

Equipped with greenwash detectors and kitted out in toxic-waste suits, activists will be testing office workers for pro-nuclear PR contamination, and highlighting the unsustainability of the governments current energy policy.

The activists are outraged that given the recently announced target of an 80% reduction in Carbon dioxide emissions, Gordon Brown, and of course his brother Andrew (head of corporate communications for EDF), are arguing that new nuclear power should be central to our energy security.

Nuclear power is far from carbon neutral[2]

Nuclear power is unsafe[3]

Nuclear power is hugely expensive[4]

Real sustainable solutions exist[5]

The real solutions to the energy gap and climate change are available now!

1 – The Greenwash Guerrillas reveal PR tactics employed by corporations to deflect attention from their poor environmental standards for the greenwash it truly is.
www.greenwashguerrillas.org <http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-climate_change_debate/2587.jsp#one

3 – Over 100 staff at the EDF operated Tricastin plant were irradiated on 24 Jul 2008, the fourth such scare in a fortnight.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/26/britishenergygroupbusiness.utilities

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/2454654/French-nuclear-leak-prompts-urgent-security-review.html

France’s independent radiation watchdog sounded the alarm Thursday after a nuclear leak – the fourth such scare in a fortnight.

French nuclear operator EDF comes in for a pasting, for saying that the latest nuclear blunders had no impact on “peoples health” or “the environment” because the doses emitted fell short of the maximum limits set by international standards.

Electricité de France workers were exposed to radioactive particles on Wednesday 23rd July, that escaped from a pipe at a nuclear reactor at the Tricastin complex. Experts said that the latest incident involved the highest number of workers to be collectively contaminated in French nuclear history.

4 – Nuclear power stations require huge initial investments, ongoing maintenance and the decommissioning costs*
* (at least £63 billion).

www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/news_release_national.pdf

Last week it emerged the cost estimate for cleaning up nuclear waste in the UK had risen by £10bn in one year. That increase is the same as the current cost of the 2012 Olympics – the finances of which have generated so much political heat.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/26/britishenergygroupbusiness.utilities

5 – New nuclear power stations are a distraction from the real solutions to climate change: decentralised energy as seen in Scandinavia, renewable technologies and energy efficiency.

Renewables would come online more quickly, require no fuel and won’t have the danger or cost of the nuclear power. The generating cost of onshore wind power is already cheaper than nuclear power, with nowhere near the level of investment and no emissions.

London Rising Tide,
c/o 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES; Tel: 07708 794665
www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
www.artnotoil.org.uk – (send us your art!)
Shell’s now sponsoring ‘Oedipus’ at the National Theatre. Look out for the
gallery of images made in response, which we’ll add to the ‘Shell’s Wild
Lie’ counter-exhibition: www.artnotoil.org.uk/gallery/v/Shell
See also the Camp for Climate Action site: climatecamp.org.uk
as well as Climate Indymedia: climateimc.org

The latest EF! Action Update is out, bringing you reports of eco-resistance for the darkening days…

Bringing light & inspiration to the darker evenings are the action stories in the latest Earth First! Action Update.

Blockades of nuclear power, roads & rivers around the world were joined “with this Shell-blockading D-lock I thee wed”.

Bringing light & inspiration to the darker evenings are the action stories in the latest Earth First! Action Update.

Blockades of nuclear power, roads & rivers around the world were joined “with this Shell-blockading D-lock I thee wed”.

And if anti-fascist action, quarry sabotage, squats, tree platforms, wrekin’ opencasts, scaling luxury hotels & the latest protest camp news wasn’t enough for you, chuck in some glue, arm tubes, a pool of oil, stink bombs, airborne rape alarms and a Lego-sized occupation, then there’s full reports from this summer’s antics at the Camp for Climate Action, Rossport solidarity camp, EF! summer gathering and Saving Iceland camp, plus a crop of global climate camps & news of protest & resistance from all 5 continents.

“No nukes, no coal, no kidding” – with people dying (both literally & symbolically) from the activities of the Earth-destroyers, people have been shouting to just “Leave it in the Ground”, dragon boats have clashed with navy gunboats in Ireland, an oil war was declared in Nigeria, and ‘moles’ spent a week underground digging further and further away from the forces of darkness at an open-cast coal site.

Details of the new Coal Action Network, upcoming dates & a full contact list should help launch (or boost) you into the orbit of eco-resistance.

Subscribe and get it sent direct to a letterbox near you – you’d also be supporting the EF!AU to get printed and sent out to prisoners & protest camps. If you want some to distribute, contact us at: actionupdate (AT) earthfirst.org.uk

Download the latest issue or past issues here.

The EF!AU is there to inspire people to take ecological direct action, to provide info to help you just get out and do it. Don’t feel shy, put your best foot forward.

The EF!AU is the quarterly newsletter of people taking ecological direct action – send us news of your action or campaigns, and come along to the Winter Moot if you want to get involved in any of the campaigns you’ve read about.

What is Earth First!?

Art Not Oil / LRT visits Shell sponsored Oedipus

On Wednesday 15th October Art Not Oil made it’s first visit to the National Theatre to highlight Shell’s sponsorship of the autumn production of Oedipus.

Shell is sponsoring the National Theatre’s new production of ‘Oedipus’, and, unsurprisingly, Art Not Oil is preparing a response on various fronts. We’re asking people if they’re up for making an artwork of some kind as a response This could be an image, song, film or poem to appear on our website, or to be printed on a postcard or something similar. We’re open to ideas. (Unfortunately, we aren’t able to pay for your work, but we have no wish to possess it!) If this is of interest, we’d love to see it as soon as possible, as ‘Oedipus’ runs until January 2009 only.

london@risingtide.org.uk
http://www.londonrisingtide.org.uk

Shell Pulling Out of Glengad till early Spring

Important Update from Erris.
The word is – Shell are pulling out of Glengad and suspending work till early Spring. Shell ‘consultants’ are informing local residents that the beach is being ‘reinstated’ and the work will take a number of weeks.

The Solitaire has moved on and is ‘off hire’ to Shell.

No press release has issued from Shell and they are behind in their weekly ‘progress’ reports to the PAD (Petroleum Affairs Divison) of Minister Eamon Ryan’s Department of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, which can normally be read here: http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Natural/Petroleum+Affairs+Division/Corrib+Gas+Field+Development/SEPIL+Weekly+Progress+Reports+to+PAD.htm

It appears that Shell are wrapping up operations at the proposed landfall site in Glengad. The trench excavated through the cliffs into the protected areas is being backfilled, and the causeway built out into Broadhaven Bay is being removed. Also one side of the site fencing on the beach has been removed. And the cable drum has been removed from the winch.

Unfortunately the commencement of removing the causeway will not be able to remove the hundreds of tonnes of fine material, which has been washed away, polluting the local sea area for miles. Fishermen have said they can see the discolouration in the water 5 or 6 miles away from the Shell beach compound.

Various materials which Shell were supposed to have kept stored and separate in the compound, have in fact been mixed and stored on the beach and much of this, as well as unsuitable causeway materials, has been washing away for months now, through high tides and rain.

Broken concrete and steel have also been added to these material heaps, which I would assume will be dumped or buried on site, whether on the beach or inside the compound in the SAC/SPA. It appears that this ‘foreign rubble’ is now being used to fill the trench which was dug through the cliff to take the pipe.

The Solitaire has left Scotland for the Spanish port of Algeerias, near Gibraltar, a main bunker port, several days ago.

For unknown reasons Shell continue to employ boats to sit in the bay a few hundred metres from the landfall site, with 3 boats there this morning, including a small tug / winch boat. Its not clear what if anything they are doing.

The road widening and upgrades to facilitate Shell have continued, with Mayo County Council closing or blocking the road for long periods despite vehement local objections to these upgrade works, with people living along the route being forced to block the sides of the road at their properties to prevent the Council stealing their margins to widen the road for Shell.

I would remind people who are interested that AFRI are holding a Hedge School, which looks to be even better than last year’s with a weekend of talks from some very relevant people, http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=515&event=1 or http://www.afri.ie for details. That’s the 24th, 25th & 26th Oct.

Wakey Wakey!: Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond woken to the impacts of airport expansion by Airport residents

16.10.2008
Communities at their wits end living under Scottish flight paths join forces with Climate Action group Plane Stupid Scotland

At 4am residents from Clydebank, Paisley, Kirkliston and Cramond peacefully setup a stereo and blasted aeroplane noise through the entrance of the First Minister’s private residency. The action stands as a protest ‘dawn chorus’ to highlight the experience of living life in the shadow of a growing airport. Ironically, the stereo caused 110 decibels of noise – the equivalent of a jumbo jet taking off.

For half an hour the residents surrounded the building dressed in bright pyjamas, night caps, clutching teddy bears, with ear defenders to display the dangerous levels of noise pollution endured by their families and communities. Their placards stated ‘its time to wake up to the impacts of aviation’ and ‘have a taste of your own medicine’.

The residents took these extraordinary steps to state loud and clear to the First Minister, who holds ultimate say over the fate of the expansion plans,that he cannot ignore any of the effects of airport expansion. These impacts include dangerous noise levels, rising air pollution, climate change and increasing economic uncertainty during the current ‘credit crunch’.

Anne, 29, a teacher from Kirkliston said:

‘We have taken our issue to the top to say that we cannot be neutral on airport expansion plans anymore. For years we have had to endure environmental injustices perpetrated from the Government and the British Airport Authority and today we are taking a stand.’

The campaign has just started. The non-violent direct- action is the first to arise from the ‘Plane Speaking’ community self-determination workshops, where communities over the summer have been planning their responses, action plans and pledges (1) to the expansion plans. Networks have formed to highlight the hypocrises’ of the Scottish Government’s desires for a healthy economic strategy and a strong Climate Change Bill whilst also intending to expand airports (2). Communities around the airports are calling for BAA to be slapped with an Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO)

Jimmy Kerr,33, Paisley community worker said:
‘For us it is a continuous descent into depression. Most mornings I am woken at 4am by the first flights. A sense of frustration with the consultation process has galvanised me into taking action’

Today’s action is particularly appropriate as Scotland’s planning system is undergoing its most extreme overhaul in 60 years and both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports are due for expansion,directed through the ‘National Planning Framework 2’ (NPF2) (3).

Plane Speaking have built alliances with Airport Watch UK and Plane Stupid Scotland and are publishing a full dossier of evidence against BAA highlighting anti-social behaviour, including films, photographs and actions at www.planestupid.com.

Notes to editor
(1) The Communities Pledge states ‘We are actively involved in calling on the Government to look again at the plans to expand Scotland’s airports. Instead we call on them to produce a coherent national transport plan which is equitable and sustainable.’

(2) Aviation is the fastest growing source of global CO2 emissions.

(3) The proposed NPF2will undergo sixty days scrutiny in Scottish parliament in autumn 2008. Plane Speaking and Plane Stupid Scotland opposes airport expansion and wants to ensure that the voices of communities directly affected under the Scottish Government’s ‘National Planning Framework’ are given due weight.

The World Health Organisation has expressed concern about the impact of aviation on human health. Long term (5-30 years) exposure to air traffic noise levels averaging 65 to 75 decibels increases blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. Sleep disturbance leads to fatigue, hypertension, greater risk of heart and respiratory problems, poor concentration in work and school, increased risk of accidents, depression, anxiety and higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse.(Greenskies Alliance)

http://www.planestupid.com

Activists Bring Biofuels Conference to Stand Still on World Food Day

Climate Activists have brought the Newark Biofuels Expo to a stand still with rape alarms and banners.

A group of climate activists calling themselves ‘Action Against Agrofuels’ have brought the Newark Biofuels Expo to a standstill. The campaigners have successfully scaled the roof of the building at the Newark Showground, dropping large banners inside the conference hall whilst others set off multiple rape alarms inside the centre to protest the rape of the planet that Agrofuels are causing.

Their action against the Expo, dubbed by campaigners as the ‘Newark Exposé’, was staged, they say, to protest against the ‘greenwash’ that Biofuels can be sustainable and are good for the environment. John Simmons, from the roof of the Newark building, said “It is unacceptable that the Biofuels industry, which is responsible for large-scale rainforest destruction, evictions of communities, hunger and accelerated climate change hold conferences where they portray themselves as ‘green’”.

According to a recent World Bank report, which the White House attempted to bury, 75% of recent food price rises are attributable to the increasing use of Biofuels. Given that 100 million extra people are going hungry this year alone, activists are incensed that this trade show has been timed to coincide with World Food Day.

Jessica Boyd justified her actions by saying that: “The evidence that large-scale Biofuels are worsening climate change, displacing food production and devastating communities and biodiversity is overwhelming, yet governments still support this destructive industry. This is why I was left with no choice but to take action.”

Outside the site, in front of a large banner which reads “inside for greenwashing, hunger and deforestation” another separate group of activists from Leeds are conducting a leaflet and banner protest at the gate.

The action comes at the tail of another week of protest with the much publicised Climate Rush on Parliament. The activists intend to stay in position for as long as possible. Four of the group are being detained at present.

Activists Take Over BP Recruitment Event in Oxford

15.10.2008
BP’s attempt to recruit Oxford graduates at the uber-swanky Randolph Hotel last night didn’t quite go according to plan…

It must have seemed so straightforward to BP. Book the swanky Ballroom at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford, prepare a swish presentation, lay on the wine and canapes and watch the Oxford graduates come flocking in. A great opportunity to drain a few more well-educated brains into their evil oil empire, sorry, their “quest for the energy of the future”.

It didn’t quite work out that way, however.

First, the 100-odd attendees were met by a banner outside the hotel, reminding them that BP is, always has been, and always will be a climate-cooking fossil fuel company. Everyone received a leaflet and a few friendly words about BP’s less salubrious activities around the world.

Once everyone had filed in and found a seat beneath the chandeliers, a tall, fair, shiny BP PR rep called Adam took the stage. He barely had a chance to introduce himself before two audience members strolled onto the platform and told the crowd that actually, they had a five minute presentation about BP that they’d like to give first.

A friendly discussion ensued, with Adam ramping up his smarmy charm to the max, insisting that he “really wanted to hear” what the pair had to say but that he really ought to give his 10-minute BP spiel first. The crowd were getting restless so eventually the tenacious two agreed to let him speak, so long as they got their slot afterwards.

Poor Adam. He did his best to get through his ten minutes of cuddly corporate Powerpoint slides, but was clearly thrown off his game, sweating and stumbling over his words, insisting that he cared about the environment (“I love the countryside”) and that was why he had joined an equally caring company like BP. The most excruciating part was watching him put up slides about careers in oil and gas exploration, extraction and financing, and trying to crowbar in pre-emptive stuff about the environment and “alternative energy” that clearly weren’t part of the original plan. He wasn’t helped by another outspoken audience member who asked him, mid-spiel, why BP had spent more money on its green sunflower rebranding than on its annual renewable energy budget.

Adam rushed through his last few slides, and then it was the turn of the two intrepid stage-invaders. They launched into a calm, professional and utterly convincing explanation of what BP was up to around the world, why major oil companies aren’t part of the solution to climate change, and why the assembled graduates really ought to consider an alternative career. No sooner had they finished than a member of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign appeared at the podium. Despite Adam’s flustered requests for him not to speak, he launched into a powerful first-hand account of BP’s activities in Colombia – their complicity in environmental destruction, the crushing of peaceful social movements, and the funding and training of death squads. The room listened in awed silence, and applauded at the end.

Adam’s Blair-like facade of reasonableness was pretty stretched at this point, but he still managed to say something bare-faced like “that’s why it’s so exciting to work at BP – we need to get to grips with all these difficult challenges”, before asking two new BP recruits from the graduate programme to stand up and talk about their experiences.

As these two poor stooges rattled hastily through their prepared talks, all was not well in the audience. Loud arguments seemed to be breaking out in scattered points throughout the crowd, about why on earth they were at an event sponsored by such a dreadful company. One after another, all around the audience, angry people stood up and stormed out (or at least stormed as far as the wine and canape area at the back). Some of them weren’t even activists. Meanwhile, the bolshiest audience member was again demanding answers from Adam, and one bright spark put his hand up and asked “so, do we get taught how to kill Colombians as part of the graduate training scheme?”

Things were clearly not going to plan, but BP still had a card to play – it was time to break up for wine and nibbles, and a dozen chirpy young BP employees from their various divisions were ready to mingle through the crowd and reassure everyone that BP was trying its best, you know, and it wasn’t really as bad as the nasty activists were saying. Unfortunately, there seemed to be as many undercover (or completely blatant) campaigners in the crowd as there were BP staff. Every small group seemed to have someone in it pointing out the hypocrisy of BP’s greenwash, and how there were so many better things that graduates could do with their lives than work for an oil and gas multinational.

BP must have spent thousands of pounds on this event. I wonder if they feel like it was money well spent?

A final thought: E.ON, of Kingsnorth coal-burning “fame”, are currently holding a series of recruitment days at universities around the country…

http://www.eon-uk.com/Careers/Graduates/807.aspx

Thames Valley Climate Action meets every Monday at 7pm at the East Oxford Community Centre.

Text of presentation given

Beyond Petroleum leaflet handed out

TVCA
oxford@climatecamp.org.uk
http://tvca.atspace.com

Climate Rush Parliament

13.10.2008

13.10.2008
A poweful and moving demo at parliament saw over five hundred people pushing through police and reaching the (locked) doors of parliament.

After frocks and cake on parliament square things turned a little less peacefull as the mass rushed accross the road and reached the doors of parliament.

Police have been forced to close the main public entrance to Parliament after environmental protesters attempted to force their way in.

Organised by the Climate Rush group, the aim was to emulate the attempt by the Suffragette movement to storm Parliament 100 years ago.

At about 1830 BST, demonstrators marched to Parliament where they were stopped by police at the St Stephen’s entrance.

Five people have been arrested for breach of the peace and a 23-year-old woman has been held for breach of bail, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said.

Doors at the main St Stephen’s Gate entrance were closed and secured with two large metal bars. Protesters striking the doors were clearly audible from the inside.

BBC film footage
more photos

Picnic in the Park – mass trespass in Derbyshire, 25th October

Picnic in the Park, the Sequel
Saturday 25 October

A new open-cast coal mine site is gearing into action in beautiful Derbyshire and must be stopped. Leave it in the Ground, supported by Earth First!, invites you to a second Picnic in the Park for a Mass Trespass to get to know the area, meet the locals and have fun…

Picnic in the Park, the Sequel
Saturday 25 October

Meet at the Visitors Centre, Shipley County Park, off Slack Lane, Heanor DE75 7GX at 12 noon on Saturday 25 October (map).

For more info see www.leaveitintheground.org.uk or call 0780 4018214