Community Campaigning & Lobbying

Since our inception, we have used our strength to mobilise the community on campaigns that we knew would take us further towards our mission.  We recognize the collective power we have and continue to try to facilitate our community to tackle issues more strategically.

We do this because: 

  • We can bring together our community's voice so that it is LOUD and STRONG, offsetting corporate influence.

  • Empowers citizens so their voice is being taken to decision making tables.

  • We can influence local policies to ensure they reflect our communities needs and interests. 

  • We can hold leaders and businesses accountable

  • It activates and promotes social change

A coffee cup with a pink wavy design next to roasted coffee beans and an overlay text indicating the cup is plastic free from North Devon.
Illustration of a gray seal with pink cheeks, accompanied by text that reads, "If this bin is full, please take your rubbish home." The bottom of the image displays logos for North Devon Council, Plastic Free North Devon, and Protect Our Playground.

Local Community Campaigning

We are constantly thinking of ways to facilitate and change behaviour across our region, but we can’t do it alone.

With the help of local councils and businesses we have dabbled with various online and physical campaigning tactics around specific events and issues, which have had varying degrees of success.

Our community has eyes and ears on the ground and we rely on YOU to spot issues and opportunities. If you have an idea that links with our mission, please get in touch.

More people = more power

Text overlay on a blue sky background with sand dunes: a statement from a Tesco spokesperson about stopping installation of Costa Express machines in a superstore in North Devon due to community feedback, under a 'Plastic Free' campaign.

Local Community lobbying

We have chosen to use our profile and ability to bring our community's voice together to create some substantial change in our region on several occasions

Stopping a Costa machine from going in at our local Tesco was a highlight as it was going against our long term goal to reduce the use of single use coffee cups in Braunton. We also lobbied our regional and district councils to pass a motion to ban the sale of single, flimsy single-use bellyboards across Northern Devon.

We have also worked with the North Devon Council Strategy and  Licensing Team to call for changes at government level to embed sustainable practices across all events. Plus we called for free buses for low income families to access green and blue spaces.

We don’t always achieve the exact result we want, but we shift the dial, raise awareness and regroup.

A large group of people on a beach protesting against pollution, holding a blue banner that reads '#ENNOSEWAGEPOLLUTION'. Some are holding surfboards, and there are signs that say 'STOP THE POLLUTION OF OUR OCEANS' and 'CRIME AGAINST LIFE ON EARTH - allowing raw sewage into our seas'.

National & international campaigning

We try to identify and galvanise local support for national and international campaigns as much as we can: from leading events to collaborating with local partners to boost online communications. We spot opportunities to broaden and deepen the impact of wider initiatives that have their tendrils in the rooms of power but offer people power to drive real change.

This could be encouraging people to add their voice to petitions, taking part in citizen science, encouraging attendees to a paddle out or a peaceful protest, or simply encouraging them to take part in our democratic processes - aka VOTE. 

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