Let me cut to the chase. I’m making an unusual request of anyone who reads this. I’m asking you – if you can afford it – if you will pay me personally an amount of your choice (a fiver would be fantastic) monthly in a direct debit subscription so I can continue to campaign and put in the many hours of required research for our Forest land to be a place for everyone to use and enjoy, and that we the public are not alienated from our land by private leases, developments, or gas exploration sites.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
Instruct your bank to set up a monthly direct debit to my account:
Sort code: 80-46-35
Account number: 01356521
For those who prefer to use Paypal, I have set up a fixed £5 monthly subscription button… click here:
This idea has been conceived and developed with suggestions from a group of us, in response to a dilemma in our household – the campaign work, co-ordination and research is taking up more and more time, no one else has come forward to take on the role, but I also need to survive and earn an income. This has become impossible due to the campaigning becoming a full-time job.
Therefore, following consultation with a diverse range of people, I have decided to set myself up as offering these services by public subscription.
I must state straight away that many of our elected representatives on town/parish, district and county councils and in Parliament will see themselves as acting as advocates for the Forest of Dean. The main difference between what I’m doing and what politicians do is they seek to represent their electorate and communities, while my focus is on the public Forest land itself. I am not seeking political power, and while I do have my own personal political views (as most people do), I believe the issue of our public access, shared use and enjoyment of the Forest transcends politics.
There is also a lot of hard work being put in to achieve similar aims to the campaigns I’m embroiled in, by Dean Forest Voice, Forest of Dean Friends of the Earth, Dean Natural Alliance and other groups, all of which I fully support.
Since late 2010 I have been at the forefront of campaigns to keep the Forest of Dean in public ownership and publicly managed (Hands Off Our Forest), and since 2015 to prevent gas exploration or fracking (Frack Off Our Forest).
Of course these campaigns are group efforts, and I am playing one part in them, and don’t see myself as a leader. But my part is, and has been, a major role. It’s been not only the role of campaigns spokesperson and rally/demo/protest organiser, but also publicist, researcher, coordinator, lobbyist and delegate – travelling to different parts of the country and London to meet with Government officials, Peers and MPs, and non-governmental organisations as well as forging links with relevant campaign groups nationally and internationally.
CAMPAIGN ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
WHY ME?
MORE INFORMATION FOR POTENTIAL SUBSCRIBERS
INTERIM FOD ADVOCATE’S REPORT (MAY-JUNE 15, 2016)
SUBSCRIPTIONS RECEIVED SO FAR (as of June 13, 2016)
DIRECT DEBITS: £166 from 20 subscribers
PAYPAL: £101.86 from 22 subscribers [amount I receive is £4.63 per subscriber, Paypal takes 37p]
TOTAL: £267.86 from 42 subscribers
Thank you so much if you decide to do it. I am committed to doing all I can to ensure it will be money well spent. I’m sure there are quite a few out there who know I’m for real and this is a case of needs must 🙂
All the best
Owen
Owen Adams: An advocate for the Forest of Dean 