It’s been a while since we did one of these, so here’s a very high-level update on just some of the activities taking place.
1: JUDICIAL REVIEW: As we await the Judge’s ruling, we wanted to reassure you that, whilst we’re hoping for the best, we’re prepared for either outcome. Good or bad, in many ways, nothing really changes. The campaign will continue to push for better options to be presented to the public, call for more money to be made available and for us to have the opportunity to have a genuine say in the outcome. It is we who will be most affected, after all. We’ll share our take on the judgement just as soon as we’ve analysed exactly what it means. However, it’s really important that we all keep our expectations in check and keep things in perspective, no matter what the result. "Losing" isn't cause for despair, as this is only the first opportunity to challenge what is happening. Similarly, "winning" doesn't mean that the road is stopped. Highways England could re-run the public consultation with a tunnel option and STILL ignore the decision (they wouldn’t, would they…?), or the tunnel option might not be what we would like it to be. One thing we CAN be sure of is that both the Council’s opposition and (we hope) our own campaign have caused delay… and this can only be a good thing.
2. ACCESS TO WESTMINSTER: You’ll remember that this is one of our two, main goals; the other being to engage the local community in the campaign. (If Hands Across the Valley is anything to go by, we feel we’re making great strides on that front!). We are working really hard to get the A5036 Scheme on the radar of those in power and others within the Westminster bubble, so it isn’t simply another piece of paper in a pile of others waiting to be signed off by Chris Grayling. We are exploring every avenue and link we have to politicians of all, major parties and will update you as and when there is anything more to say. Our recent meeting with Clive Lewis MP is just one example of our work and we hope to share more of the same in the coming weeks and months.
3. NETWORKING: Since the campaign team came together, a little over 12 months ago, we’ve taken some time to get up to speed, to understand how to deliver against our strategy and to learn how to work together. We now feel that the campaign has really gained an identity and therefore have more confidence in what we are doing. This means that we want to engage with other, like-minded organisations across Liverpool, Merseyside, the North West and the UK. Not to mention other campaign groups. Again, a lot of work is taking place to try to foster good relationships with others, so that we can support each other’s causes and stand a better chance of being heard. So many of these groups are interlinked and feed into the local, political scene… so we need to engage with as many of them as possible and be part of this ourselves.
4. YOUR RIMROSE STORY: You’ll have hopefully seen the new blog feature on our website. Although on the face of it, this is just a “nice” thing to do… it is actually far more important than that. In sharing YOUR stories and YOUR views, you give the campaign a different, more personal voice. We know how WE feel about Rimrose, the environment and clean air, but we simply cannot convey exactly what it means to YOU. If you’re unable to help with volunteering, or to make a donation, why not spend a little bit of time doing this? Email your submissions and any accompanying pictures to enquiries@rimrosevalleyfriends.org
5. MEDIA: We were absolutely delighted with the amount of media coverage we received for both Hands Across the Valley and our protest outside the High Court in Manchester. Again, this is the result of a lot of hard work in fostering good relations with those we come into contact with and then giving them something newsworthy to broadcast or print. However, it would be nothing without YOUR input. We recognise how hard everyone is working and contributing in their own way and want to thank you for it. Hands Across the Valley had the capacity to be a damp squib… whatever a squib is?! The reason it looked so spectacular is because people got off their backsides and turned out in droves to show how much they care about Rimrose Valley. This has to continue. Not everything we do will be as eye-catching or as large as that event, but it’s vitally important that everyone continues to engage with the campaign and to show they care. Keep your eye out for more clips from the day and don’t forget to share our news.
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