Oldham Earth First!

The group's just over two years old now. But we're always looking for more people. Our meetings - jam packed with planning actions and sipping beer - are on the 1st Thursdays of the month in the "Hark to Topper" pub from 8pm. Or you can ring us on 0161 621 0355 to find out when the next actions are.

Forthcoming Events

Sat 13 Feb: BEAL VALLEY - leafletting in protest at Oldham council's plans to turn the town's last green space into a toxic dump with a golf club on top. From 11am outside Tesco, Huddersfield Road, Oldham.

Sat 27 Feb: NO GENETICS - leafletting (and maybe more?!) from 11am outside Tesco, Huddersfield Road, Oldham.

Thurs 11 March: PUB QUIZ - raising money for the group. 8pm, Hark to Topper, just off Union Street, Oldham

(Fairly!) Recent Actions

Siemens

Check out the report in the Networking Newsletter from the April 1998 action at the Failsworth factory.

Crazy Golf in Battye Garden

On Saturday 14 February 1998 a dozen concerned citizens of Oldham occupied the front lawn of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Leader John Battye. They hung banners from the roof tops and played a round of gigantic crazy golf in protest at the Council's stance over Beal Valley.

The "golfers" were protesting about plans to destroy Beal Valley, using it as a giant tip for rubble from the building of the M66 and for toxic waste, and then turning it into a golf club.

All of the "golfers", who live around Oldham, joined in a protest called by "Oldham Earth First!". Group spokesperson Liisa said,

"It's a disgrace that anybody could even dream of ripping up the countryside at Beal Valley. But to fill it full of rubble from an un-wanted motorway, and then to turn it into a golf course is totally batty. At the moment we can all go for pleasant walks around the valley and enjoy nature, but if Mr Batty has his way then only a few rich people will be able to knock a few balls about on a piece of artificial grass."

Oldham Earth First! are calling upon Mr. Battye and other members of the Council to take immediate steps to stop the destruction of one of the last remaining areas of natural beauty that is easily accessible from the town centre.

Protesters at Battye's House (insert: Mr. Battye)

How it Went and Mr Battye's Reaction

The action went quite well, with about a dozen campaigners turning up. The police were waiting for us but we still marched to Mr Battye's house, put up banners, and handed out fliers to his neighbours. We attempted to play golf on his lawn but a copper came out of the house and threatened to arrest us with criminal damage to the lawn so we suspended our game. There was also a riot van with 3 coppers watching us. We thought that this was a bit heavy handed. Overall the whole protest was quite "fluffy" and lasted an hour.

We got quite a lot of local coverage, including the local "Oldham Evening Chronical".

Imagine our surprise when 2 days later, the OEC had a half page coverage of Mr Battye complaining that they had not broken our embargo. The article also revealed that apart from the 3 coppers outsied there was an officer inside PLUS phone taps and video surveillance!!!

Mr Battye has now withdrawn all "cooperation" with the local paper.

We are shocked and disgusted that the leader of the Council thinks that the press should break embargos (particularly for such a fluffy action) and that he is not prepared to discuss the issues. His withdrawal of cooperation with the OEC is appalling - he is a publically elected representation and should be prepared to speak to those who elected him and/or he represents.

National No Shop Day (Sat 29 Nov 1997)

To celebrate International No Shop Day 97, Oldham Earth First will be gave a couple of ultra-realistic, almond-eyed aliens a satirical tour of Oldham's consumerist heartland. The 'aliens' came to Oldham after picking up our TV signals. Intrigued as to what sort of civilization might produce flower-filled adverts for products that actually destroy the environment, they wanted to find out what on Earth (literally) was going on.

Our exasperated tour guide struggled to answer their questions about what they saw around them. The aliens wanted to know why we buy apples from the other side of the planet... can't we grow apples of our own? Why do we scurry around looking irritated, if buying things is meant to make us happy? Why do we need adverts telling us what styles we have to wear this year...can't we decide for ourselves?

Adam Marlborough, tour guide, said, "Every time we turn on our TVs, every time we read a paper or a magazine, the message is the same. Be happy, consume more. Be happy, buy more things. Be happy, work longer. Pressured by the media, pressured by our children, pressured by the advertisers we give in time and time again. And the result? Are we any happier, or just so tired we don't realise how miserable all this spending actually makes us? So on No Shop Day we want people to reclaim a little of their lives."

Last updated: Spring 1999