Hi.
Due to major technical issues that involved rabbits eating computer equipment, the maa blog has been a little quiet of late.
However we have been a busy lot!
Circus demos, fur demos, the national fur march, greyhound demos, getting foie gras off menus, hunt monitoring, planning the next stage of the shark fin campaign, vegan stalls, the anarchist bookfair, rabbit farm demos…you name it, we’ve done it…except update this site!
If you would like to see how you can get involved in helping animals please come along to the maa meeting this Saturday 7th November 10ish Cafe Mod Pop Oldham Street Manchester City Centre.

Just a quick reminder to say that we’ll be at Belle Vue on Saturday evening and hope you’ll be able to join us to ensure that as many people as possible, who’ve taken advantage of the 1p meal deal, won’t be tempted to return again, however cheap to them …. they need to know the true cost paid by the poor dogs! 6pm – 7:30pm

Belle Vue Stadium
Kirkmanshulme Lane
Gorton
Manchester
M18 7BA

October 09 meeting minutes

First things first….

For updates, keep checking this blog
http://manchesteranimalaction.wordpress.com/

This is designed for anyone involved in MAA to contribute to, please do!

Join the facebook group called, you guessed it… Manchester Animal Action! Couldn’t be simpler!

Email us on: blah@manchesteranimalaction.org.uk

Join the email list by sending an email to manchesteranimalaction@lists.rbgi.net

Text us on:
07809 293370

1. November is National Vegan Month, we need to arrange a separate meeting to organise for Sunday 1st November free vegan food day. MAA have been given full use of Earth Café for this (basement of Manchester Buddhist Centre).

Action: Contact MVS and MVVS to see if they want to help with the day.

2. Continuation of the subgroup ‘Manchester Shark Action’ and the shark fin campaign. We succeeded last year in helping get shark cartilage off the shelves in Holland & Barrett and local health food shops in Manchester. Now we need to focus on convincing restaurants in Chinatown to stop selling it. Sea Shepherd use effective campaign tactics such as going into Chinese restaurants that sell fins and then openly showing their disgust and leaving. Also they collect signatures and send them to restaurants with a covering letter explaining the horrors of shark finning. This is having a big effect as it’s hitting them economically.

Action: Contact Sea Shepherd for literature.

Anyone interested to discuss this campaign, meeting Tuesday 3rd November 7pm, Font Bar, New Wakefield Street, just near Oxford Road train station.

 

3. Use of PR stunts to highlight issues e.g. previous successful ‘zombie dancing and samba’ style demos outside Kurt Geiger! Businesses hate the attention that such visual stuff brings. We need more ideas about how to enliven our demos!

4. Battery chickens and how to raise awareness about them.

Action: Start thread on email list to discuss pros and cons of urban henhouses for rescued chickens

5. Saturday 17th October Anti-Fur demo in London. Minibus will be booked so people definitely interested need to email the list to confirm. Will be leaving Piccadilly early morning, cost between £10-15.

National Anti Fur March 2009

Actions: Contact MVS to see if anyone is interested in coming, book minibus

(See CAFT.)

6. Anti-Fur campaigns.
Angela Beer in Bramhall continues to sell real fur. There will be a pre-demo residential leaflet drop on Thursday 8th October, meet at Piccadilly 7pm. Text MAA phone if interested.

Demo: Saturday 10th October, meet at Piccadilly 11am.

Afflecks Palace is now fur-free and this has been written into shop owners’ licenses by the owner of the building, fantastic!! Worth checking to see if the vintage shops are letting things slip through. (First floor café in Afflecks now sells vegan milkshakes!)

TK Maxx had some fur in recently and but took it off the shelves and apologised when they realised their mistake.

House of Fraser, same as above.

Belstaff still selling fur.

(See CAFT.)

7. It is Global Anti-McDonald’s day on Friday 16th October. Agreed to do evening flyering, Friday 23rd October 7-9pm, meeting outside the Oxford Road/Portland Street McD’s 7pm.

Action: Get flyers.

8. National SHAC march, Newcastle, Friday 9th October, meet at 12pm, Civic Centre. This is about Sanofi Aventis who are a customer of Huntingdon Life Sciences.

9. West Midlands Vegan Fair, Wolverhampton, 24th October 11am-5pm.

West Midlands Vegan Fair, Wolverhampton, 24th October

10. Bobby Roberts ‘super circus’ is back in town, in Farnworth, Bolton. Demo held on Friday and again on Saturday after the meeting! A good idea recently was to give away free tickets to the Moscow State Circus to families who we turned away from Bobby Roberts! (See CAPS.)

Action: We need more ideas of positive alternatives like this!

11. Tory Party conference anti-hunt demo, meet at 11am Monday 5th October, in front of the Town Hall, Albert Square. This has been organised by FACCT (Fight Against Cameron Cruelty Threat) as the Tory party plan to repeal the Hunting Act.

12. We need a working megaphone!

Action: Test old one, if it doesn’t work we will buy a new one!

13. Christmas is coming, time to plan a BIG turkey campaign. All agreed residential leaflet drops a great idea for November and December.

Viva Turkey Flyer

Also, need ideas for possible Christmas-style cards reflecting the reality of life for turkeys.

Action: Order Viva! Christmas leaflets.

15. Foie-gras. A number of restaurants are selling it in Manchester including the Lowry Hotel, Macdonald Hotel nr Piccadilly and the Park Inn on Cheetham Hill Road. There is a successful campaign against this up and running, with a thread on the MAA email list, plus possible demos planned.

16. Reminder about Belle Vue Greyhound Stadium. Greyhound Action are out there every week peacefully campaigning against this relic of a bygone era. MAA support them every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, handing out leaflets to the punters going in and talking to them about the cruelties involved in this industry, 6-7.30pm meet at entrance.

17. North West Hunt Sabs are going out every week and weekend now, effectively and peacefully stopping a load of mindless thugs savagely killing foxes and other wildlife. Email the list if you are interested in getting involved.

Just a quick reminder that this Thursday is an anti-greyound demo at Belle Vue.
We don’t live in the Victorian era and watching animals as entertainment has to stop. Especially relevant to greyhounds, lets stop it where it all started.
Every year 1000s of dogs die;the injured, the finished, and those that don’t make the grade. Help educate the punters that their bit of fun on a night out supports this blood sport.

Vegan picnic, Saturday 5th of September in Blackpool. Meet at the clock tower in Stanley Park at 1pm.
They are asking people to bring along one dish to add to the feast.

A member of maa has a pair of veggie boots for sale. Recycling and non-dead shoes are well worth a post. Contact blah@manchesteranimalaction.org.uk if you want to buy ‘em and your details will be forwarded.

Veggie Trekker boots need a new home. They are size 39, this is usually mysize (6) but these are just a little too small so I have hardly worn them.

recycle for thanimals

recycle for th'animals

If you are a small 6 or big 5 then these would suit you. I paid £130 for them because they are sturdy and WATERPROOF. Will sell them for £50 Check them out here.

Hello All.  Again we are late with the dates of activities for this month.  No excuses, or reasons just a promise that we will try to improve.  That said this is our list of activities for  August 09.

1-9th: Circus demos in Blackpool

a previous manchester circus demo

a previous demo by MAA (map) results in a clown's arrest

8th: General info Stall in Manchester, market St

9th: Sanctuary work day, near Nottingham. Get in touch if you want to come along so we can save you a space.

12th: Gory twelfth. Start of the Grouse shoot season, sabbing will be taking place around the NOrth West. Get in touch with NWHSA if you would like to help out and save lives!
info@nwhsa.org.uk http://www.nwhsa.org.uk/
Tel: 07960 038230


22nd: Anti-fur demo at Angela Beer, meet picadilly station 11am. Get in touch to book car space.
Social at Lilies (vegetarian Indian restaurant), Ashton, from 5pm.

Corrie fur horror

Corrie fur horror

28th-31st: ARUK2009.
This year’s gathering will take place in the East Midlands, on private land near Northampton.

ARUK 2009 is the national gathering of the grass roots animal rights movement. It’s a chance for activists from throughout the country to get together and take stock of where we are and make plans for the future. This year the gathering will take place over the Summer Bank Holiday weekend, giving us a long weekend which will include a timetable of workshops, talks, discussions and films on a wide range of topics connected to animal rights activism, and also some practical workshops and activities allowing us to share and learn new skills. As usual there will also be various entertainment and activities planned, a chance to relax with like-minded people, to meet up with old friends and make new ones, to socialise and network with other activists from all over the UK.

For more information, please browse the site http://www.argathering.org.uk/, or email 2009@argathering.org.uk

Transport going from Manchester, book early to save car space.

Sat 5th September: MAA monthly meeting, 10am onwards. Meet at Cafe Pop, Oldham St for breakfast, discussion and planning for the month ahead!

Hello World. Sorry that MAA have been a bit tardy in publishing this month’s diary dates. No excuses, not even otters can be offered. That said this is our list of activities for this month.

Wed 8th July
Demo at Circus Mondeo in Bolton, 6:30-7:30
Get in touch if you need a lift from Manchester or you can offer one

Sat 11th

Demo at Circus Mondeo, Bolton
Get in touch if you are able to attend

Sun 12th
Northern Animal Rights Coalition meeting, Liverpool. Starts midday
This is a good opportunity to meet and network with other groups in the North and find out what is going on with other groups and how we can best support each other.
Get in touch if you need a lift.

Friday 17th
General info stall in Manchester

Sat 18th
Anti-fur demo at Angela Beer demo in Bramhall. Meet Piccadilly station at midday. Get in touch if you need a lift

Sunday 19th
MAA social at Dandelion & Burdock. Get in touch if you want to come along.

Sat 1st August
MAA meeting at Cafe Pop, Oldham St, 10am start. come along for ideas of what to do in August as well as socialising and nice food!!

Twisted Wheel

Twisted Wheel

theHEAP aims to create a sustainable community allotment where people of different ages and backgrounds can come together to share skills and experience of vegan organic food growing.
Initial objectives include organising workshops, activity days, and outreach work to promote environmental and food education, health through exercise, vegan organic growing, permaculture, bioregionalism and cooperative living, low carbon alternatives and climate change solutions.

Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th of July
10am till 4pm each day

A FREE introduction to Permaculture ethics and principles as they
apply to gardening allotments sustainably. The weekend includes
practical observation and mapping exercises alongside tried and
tested methods for productive growing, using Nature as our teacher.

The course is being run at the HEAP, (Highfield
Eco Allotment Project): a group of four
allotments within the Highfield allotment
site. We are working them together
to be as ecologically sensitive,
sustainable and cruelty free as
possible. To do this we manage
the site vegan-organically using
permaculture as our guide.
Please bring a little vegan food
to share for lunch. Teas and
coffee will be provided.
Places are limited so to confirm
yours and get directions call us on:
07508 757 888
info@theheap.org.uk

permaculture flyer

permaculture flyer

For all items – MAA Super Hotline is 07809 293370
plus our fancy-shmancy new email address is still the oh so clever -
blah@manchesteranimalaction.org.uk
(Shall we change the schtick?)

June 11th – 7pm – 9:30pm
Fur information – Bramhall, Cheshire
Meet for transport at Piccadilly at 8pm.

Angela Beer sell fur every winter – help convince them that people do not want to shop anywhere that supports this brutal death industry.
www.caft.org.uk
If there are more people than transport we will be all green and take the train.

Saturday 13th – 10am – Later
School Speakers Workshop – Friends Meeting House, Manchester
Animal Aid will be giving training on how to give school talks.
This is invaluable in educating people where their food comes from; dismembered animals, not plastic trays.
£5 depost required.
(Friends Meeting House is just behind Central Library at the top of Oxford Road.)

Saturday 13th – 11am – 4pm
Angela Beer Anti-Fur demo – Bramhall, Cheshire
Meet for transport at Piccadilly at 11am.

Angela Beer sell fur every winter – help convince them that people do not want to shop anywhere that supports this brutal death industry.
www.caft.org.uk
If there are more people than transport we will be all green and take the train.

Friday 19th – 10am – 4pm
Information Stall – Market Street, Manchester
Meet on Market Street for a day of giving out information about how people can help lessen the suffering of animals.
Look for the stall!

Today is also the birthday of the McLibel victory so be ready to give out some McDonalds leaflets.

Saturday 20th – 11am – 4pm
Angela Beer Anti-Fur demo – Bramhall, Cheshire
Meet for transport at Piccadilly at 11am.

Angela Beer sell fur every winter – help convince them that people do not want to shop anywhere that supports this brutal death industry.
www.caft.org.uk/


If there are more people than transport we will be all green and take the train.

Saturday 20th – 5pm – 7pm
Social, Indian Food at Lillys – Ashton-Under-Lyne, Tameside

We will be heading off after the fur demo for a social at vegetarian Indian cafe, Lillys.
Meet there at 5pm if not coming from demo.
Bring stomach.

**** July ****

July 1st – July 7th
World Week For Captive Dolphins

We don’t have dolphinariums in the UK anymore but we need to ask people not to support them when on their summer holidays.

Friday 3rd – 10am – 4pm
Information Stall – Market Street, Manchester
Themed stall for World Week For Captive Dolphins

Saturday 4th – 10am – 12pm
MAA meeting at Mod Pop Cafe – Oldham Street, Mcr

Pop…along to this veggie cafe with your agenda items and help plan events for MAA.

Saturday 4th – 12pm – 4pm
Information Stall – Market Street, Manchester

After the meeting we will be going out and spreading the word on the city streets.

Saturday 5th – All Day
Mel Broughton’s birthday – HMP Frankland, Brasside, Durham, County Durham DH1 5YD

Mel Broughton (TN9138) – Moved – 04-06-09
Mel was remanded on 14 December 2007 and was sentenced on 13th February 2009 to 10 years for animal rights related offences against Oxford University animal experiment lab.

What you can send: an SAE; a small, non ring-binded calendar; Postal Orders made out on front to “HMPS”, with Mel’s name and number on back, and also the sender’s name and address if there is room.

Sunday 12th – All Day
Sanctuary Day – Lower Moss Wood, Cheshire

Come and lend a hand at this wildlife hospital and nature reserve.

**** Various ****

SPEAK Campaigns looking for suport for their regular Thursday demos.

Belle Vue anti greyhound racing campaign needs support at Belle Vue every Saturday 6pm – 7:30pm

Three Owls Bird Sanctuary are looking for teams of 2 – 3 volunteers to help any and very Sunday.
This place is great – where else can you take a pigeon!

Wolstenholme Fold
Norden
Rochdale OL11 5UD
Tel: (01706) 642162
Fax: (01706) 659090
24 Hour Helpline: 07973 819389
Email: info@threeowls.co.uk

Don’t forget, our June meeting is this Saturday 6th June 10am, Cafe Mod Pop, Oldham Street, Manchester. Please come, eat breakfast and share your ideas about what MAA can do!

07809 293370

MAA meetings are held on the first Saturday of each month at 10am Please do come along and add any ideas to the agenda for discussion by all. Cafe Mod Pop, 34 Oldham Street, Mcr, 0161 235 5236 email us

Anarchist Bookfair 2009

Saturday 24th October 2009 from 10am to 7pm