The April/May 2009 edition of the Friends of the Earth Local Groups magazine, Change Your World, features an interview with Marine Reserves campaign co-ordinator, Bill Rigby. The magazine is available as a PDF download on the Friends of the Earth website, but we also reproduce the article below.
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Members of York and Ryedale Friends of the Earth, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Miss Earth (Caroline Duffy) met with York MP Hugh Bayley to call on his to support the establishment of a network of highly protected marine reserves in UK waters. The meeting was on the front page and on page 3 of the local paper – The Press. Hugh Bayley has signed EDM 337 and has written to Huw Irranca-Davies, the minister responsible for the Marine and Coastal Access Bill to invite him to a public meeting. The meeting with campaigners is also featured (and illustrated!) on the MP’s website

The postcard shown right was designed by Durham Friends of the Earth and formed part of the Marine Reserves campaign at an earlier stage.

It is included for completeness – we recommend against its use at present as it makes no mention of EDM 337.

However, the image is so relevant, we are thinking of using it again at a later stage – have you any views?  Please post a comment if you have.

Quentin Given, Sue Penny and Fran Acheson meet David Lammy MP

Members of the Tottenham & Wood Green Friends of the Earth local group visited their MP, David Lammy yesterday to lobby for 30% of UK seas to be made Highly Protected Marine Reserves.

Mr Lammy was presented with some mounted chocolate fish to commemorate the occasion.

“The government has made a good step forward with the Marine and Coastal Access Bill,” said Quentin Given, of Tottenham Friends of the Earth, “But we want it to take a further step and create a network of safe havens for endangered fish species all around our coasts.”

David Lammy said, “People in Tottenham take this issue seriously. Many come from countries with important marine reserves and even though we live in an urban community, the health of our seas connects us across continents. I look forward to taking this issue to Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Milliband.”

We hope this experience is repeated hundreds of times up and down the country as local groups press home the issue with their MPs.