Video From Our D-Day Solidarity Rally

LancsSolidarityA massive thanks to all the local people and campaign groups that travelled from all over the UK to stand in solidarity with Lancashire. We were overwhelmed by your amazing support.

Catch all the action from today’s wonderful solidarity rally at County Hall Preston with this live stream.

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Stand With Lancashire – 28th Jan

Huge day for Lancashire – Come and join the thousands of voices against fracking & protect our county!

 

Come down to County Hall, Preston, where Lancashire County council are due to decide on Cuadrilla’s fracking applications. Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire PR1 8RL

Farmers tractor rally outside County Hall
Farmers tractor rally outside County Hall Preston
County Hall, road closed
County Hall road closed
CountyHallRoad
Waiting for the farmers!
Plackards at County Hall
Plackards at County Hall
Don't mess with Lancashire!
Don’t mess with Lancashire!
CountyHall10am
Hundreds gather outside County Hall Preston
CountyHallMusic
Anti-Fracking songs outside County Hall
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Getting To Preston – 28th Jan

Residents gathered at Preston New Road on Saturday 24th Jan
Residents gathered for a photo call at Preston New Road on Saturday 24th Jan

On Wed 28th and Thurs 29th January, Lancashire County Council will be deciding on whether or not to approve two of the biggest fracking tests ever contemplated in the UK.

There are groups travelling from across Lancashire and the North East to oppose Cuadrilla’s fracking application at County Hall Preston on Wednesday.

What to bring:

  • BANNERS/SIGNAGE representing your community
  • WARM/WATERPROOF clothes
  • FOOD & WATER to share
  • WEAR YELLOW solidarity with Frack Free Lancashire

 

Travel Plans From Across The Region

LANCASTER

Join Lancaster Fights Fracking travelling to Preston by train:

Departs Lancaster 8.27
Arrives Preston 8.45


BLACKPOOL

Event Info – Frack Free Solidarity Train

Join Fleetwood Folk Say NO Fracking  travelling to Preston by train:

Departs Blackpool North at 8.21am
Poulton le Fylde at 8.29am
Kirkham and Wesham at 8.39
Arrives Preston 8.49am

SOUTHPORT & BEYOND!

Event Info – Frack Free Fares

Join Ribble Estuary Against Fracking travelling to Preston on the X2/2X Bus:

X2 Departs Liverpool 7.13am
Bootle at 7.27am
Crosby at 7.44am
Formby at 8.03am
Birkdale at 8.23am

2X Departs Southport at 8.32am
Churchtown at 8.46am
Tarleton at 8.58am
Arrive Preston at 9.26am

MANCHESTER

Join Manchester Campaign against Climate Change travelling to Preston by Train from Manchester Picadilly. Meet 7.35 at the waiting area near platform 14:

Depart Manchester 7.45 am
Arrive Preston 8.25 am

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Cuadrilla In Fracking Panic!!!

lancs-fracking-campaignersCuadrilla want to delay their planning hearing but our plans remain the same!!!

 

We will turn out on Wednesday 28th January in Preston to send a clear message that Lancashire and threatened communities from across the UK object to Cuadrilla’s fracking plans.

 

“We are shocked and surprised by this application (for a deferral). We have been arguing about the appropriate noise levels for months so they (Cuadrilla) should have known what the acceptable limits were. We think the hearings should go ahead as planned.”

“A deferral will throw a spanner in the works for our presentations. We have people coming from London and even France to present evidence to the hearings. People have had to take time off work and we even had a QC lined up. All the groups were geared up to go now.”

Barbara Richardson: Roseacre Awareness Group

 

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27,000 Objections & Counting!!!

LancashireObjectionsFriday 16th January

Another 2,000 objections to Cuadrillas Fracking Plans were handed into Lancashire County Council. This brings the known total so far to a massive 27,000. This is definitely the most unpopular planning application ever in Lancashire. There’s still time to have your say. Click here to object.

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JANUARY 2015 – Lancashire Events

Thursday 15th Jan – Public Meeting, Elswick Village Hall

Roseacre Awareness Group (RAG) are holding a Public Meeting at Elswick Village Hall at 7:00pm. Come and find out why we are concerned about Fracking in our village.

Saturday 17th Jan – Public Engagement in Preston

Meet at 9am at the Friargate entrance to St. Georges to spread awareness about the threat of Fracking in Lancashire and engage the people of Preston.

Tuesday 20th Jan – Bristol Scientist to Stand Trial

Bristol man and former nuclear scientist Dr Rowland Dye is bailed to appear before Blackpool Magistrates Court today. He is charged with causing “aggravated trespass” as part of a protest against Fracking in Lancashire last August. Come down to support Rowland from 9am.

Wednesday 21st Jan – Demo & Petition Hand-in at LCC

Join Frack Free Lancashire and Friends of the Earth as they hand in their anti-fracking petition to Council Leader Jennifer Mein. Meet at 9am outside County Hall in Preston. Please come down to show your support, wear yellow if you can, everyone welcome. After the demo there will be tea and coffee upstairs in the Station Hotel and a chance to chat about next steps.

Friday 23rd Jan – Preston New Road Residents Presentations at LCC

Today residents from Preston New Road present their evidence to the planning committee. The presentations can not be attended by members of the public but residents welcome support outside the council building. Meet outside Preston County Hall at 11am, presentations start at 12 noon. All welcome.

Monday 26th Jan – Roseacre Wood Residents Presentations at LCC

Today residents from Roseacre Wood present their evidence to the planning committee. The presentations can not be attended by members of the public but residents welcome support outside the council building. Meet outside Preston County Hall at 11am, presentations start at 12 noon. All welcome.

Tuesday 27th Jan – Public Meeting Burnley Central Methodist Hall

Join local residents to discuss the pros and cons of fracking at Burnley Central Methodist Hall. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start.

Wednesday 28th Jan

LANCASHIRE FRACKING DECISION DAY

Screen Shot 2015-01-04 at 00.08.18Today and over the next two days Lancashire County Council will be deciding whether or not to approve Cuadrilla’s fracking applications. These applications are the biggest fracking tests ever contemplated in the UK, if they go ahead they threaten to turn our precious county into a gas field. Concerned communities from Lancashire and around the UK will descend upon County Hall, Preston for a peaceful show of solidarity and resistance.

Get Involved

Please make time to come down and support the opposition to these plans. Wear yellow if you can, make a banner/sign and remember to bring warm waterproof clothes and food & drink to share. Everyone welcome from 9am.

IMPORTANT – What happens on the 29th and 30th is impossible to predict. Watch this space for updates. Times and dates for the planning decisions may be subject to change.

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Our Fightback Has Begun

Freelance journalist and mother Ebony Ava Johnson, from Residents Action on Fylde Fracking (RAFF) blogs about the launch of Frack Free Lancashire.

FFLTsIn February, we heard the news we had dreaded. Cuadrilla planned to return to the Fylde to drill and hydraulically fracture eight wells at two new sites, in Little Plumpton and Roseacre. If these new sites are granted planning permission it will set a precedent for intensive, widespread industrialisation of the Lancashire countryside.

It had become apparent to us that there is significant opposition to shale gas but few people know how to object.

In response to this I came up with the idea for the Frack Free Lancashire campaign, to give the wider public the opportunity to object to the two new planning applications.

Throughout the summer campaign groups will have stalls in town centres all over the county, hold meetings and events to engage with the public and allow them to have their say.  On 21st June 2014, 18 anti-fracking groups from all over Lancashire, united in Blackpool to show solidarity against fracking.

The sun shone brightly as I arrived in a quiet and peaceful Blackpool town centre. Boxes of information brochures, objections letters, banners, posters and biscuits towered atop two large tables. As I taped a huge bright yellow Frack Free Lancashire logo to the table people started asking how to get involved. As other groups arrived, the stall started to take shape and before long the square was a sea of yellow Frack Free Lancashire T-shirts. For the next eight hours, streams of people flocked to sign objection letters, ask questions, and collect information leaving me amazed at the campaign groups’ passion and determination in the fight against dirty fracking.

frack_free_lancashire_1With such a high level of interest I find it astonishing that local councils, our elected representatives, have not undertaken similar events in order to gauge public feeling towards shale gas. Nor will Cuadrilla face the general public, instead choosing to hold their public meetings in remote locations that are not on public transport routesand often only inviting a select audience. In the beginning Cuadrilla sent their information brochures to tens of thousands of homes in the Fylde, now they only engage with the residents in the immediate vicinity of their proposed new sites. They purport to be a ’good neighbour’ so what have they got to hide?

Everyone at the launch was overwhelmed by the unbelievable support we received. T there was a real sense of community spirit as people of all ages from all walks of life from all over the region stopped by the stall. As the box filled up with over 1000 objection letters I felt incredibly emotional. Many people had come to Blackpool especially to see us, which for some people was a huge effort. One disabled couple found it difficult to get around but felt so strongly against fracking that they came to sign an objection as they had no internet access. I distinctly remember so many people I spoke to, especially an elderly lady who took my hand in hers and thanked us for what we were doing and said she only wished she could help us more.

frack_free_lancashire_3The movement against shale gas has come along way and public awareness is growing every day as is the evidence of fracking’s negative impacts. People need to know that they can do something to say no to fracking in their community. All over the UK people are uniting to make their voices heard. The UK must look at the devastating evidence that fracking has left behind all over the world and act to protect its people, the environment and precious resources such as water and air. Renewable energy is our future, a long term solution that will provide us with energy independence.

I am not an ‘activist’, ‘tree hugger’, ‘hippy’, ‘green’, ‘NIMBY’ or any other label that is put on someone who opposes shale gas. I am a self-employed university graduate and first and foremost I am a mother. I have researched the dangers of shale gas development for myself and now, along with many others am working to share this information with our communities. Every person that we help to educate or give the opportunity to object makes every moment of what we do worthwhile and we will all keep fighting to ensure that our beautiful Lancashire remains frackfree.

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