A campaign is under way in Cannock to oppose a cut to UK foreign Aid and give support to refugees across the world.
The leaders of the group Cannock Chase Cares are urging people to take part in their postcard petition campaign to write a personal message about the importance of tackling global injustice and why they would like to help refugees.
The group held its first meeting in Cannock recently. At the meeting Chair of Cannock Chase Pride, Kathryn Downs spoke about the bigotry LGBT+ refugees are victims of, with a particular focus on Ukrainian refugees. Mahnaz Shariat, an activist discussed human rights around the world.
The postcards will be sent directly to Cannock Chase MP Amanda Milling, who is Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office.
Campaign organiser Emily Aitchison, from the Aid Alliance said: “This is a great initiative to ensure politicians don’t just ignore their constituents’ requests. Unfortunately, this is too often the case with traditional petitions that only include names on a list.
When we do our street stalls to talk to members of the public about these issues and collect the petition, you’d be surprised how overwhelming positive the response is.”
Emily added: “In Britain as we live in a representative democracy our elected representatives have a duty of care to represent the wishes of their constituents. So, if we can get enough people to speak up and support us, we can make a difference and hopefully we can change Amanda’s position.
It is all about using our voice as constituents and using the system as it was intended.”
A Brownhills group named the World Matters in Aldridge, ran a similar campaign and were able to send over 100 postcards to MP Wendy Norton last year.
Emily said: “It is amazing to see people who want to help those that need it. It’s really that simple.”
Cannock Chase Cares is an organisation set up by people in Cannock to fight global poverty and accept refugees. It’s supported by the Aid Alliance which brings awareness to global humanitarian issues.
Anyone who would like to take part in the petition can get a postcard by contacting Emily at
[email protected] or by contacting their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Cannock-Chase-Cares
Picture caption: Left to right, Emily Aitchison, Kathryn Downs and Mahnaz Shariat.