Southport: On the Fracking front line

3 May 2013

You drill a deep well and you inject millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals in to it at high pressure. The shale deposits under the ground then fracture under that pressure and that allows natural gas to flow out up the well. It's called hydraulic fracturing - or "fracking".

It's spreading across the UK. It's been linked to water and air pollution, research shows it would harm efforts to cut our carbon emissions and it's been linked to earth tremors.

The first test-drilling sites are in Lancashire, north-west England and Southport Friends of the Earth are just down the road. Which means they've got plenty on. I spoke to Laurence and Michelle from the group.

Southport Friends of the Earth has around 8 active members and when fracking raised its head, around eighteen months ago, it came somewhat out the blue for the group. There were plenty of reasons pushing them to respond though.

"The people reacted strongly," explained Laurence. The issue of threats to local water and air quality as well as the sudden industrial threat to a rural area all made it an issue of concern for local people. For the group, the issue's links to climate change and an unsustainable energy mix were key too.

But for Michelle and Laurence there was also the issue of people's right to be involved. First off, local people needed to know a bit more to be equipped to respond. "People just didn't know enough about it" explained Michelle. Southport Friends of the Earth wanted to help get that knowledge out there.

And then there was the issue of what Laurence calls "democratic deficit."

"It came in under the radar, the planning applications have been granted in ways that seem contrary to due process, Councillors seemed not to be fully aware of the implications." People needed to be given a way to feed in and make their voice heard and they weren't getting sufficient opportunity to do so.

The group's been busy since making the decision to take this on. They've helped with a visit by Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins, done a lot of media work and travelled around meetings across the region meeting with other local campaigners.

They've held stalls to collect petitions and raise awareness, supported a local march and taken part in a public bike ride around fracking sites. They've responded to the planning process and helped others to do the same and they've helped organise a major international fracking conference in Manchester.

They've been out and about to meetings in pubs, town halls, festivals, church halls and more across the region to organise with others and they've worked with Friends of the Earth staff that are campaigning in the region and elsewhere.

As a result, there have now been hundreds of objections to planning applications - unusually high numbers in some places - and the media profile is much higher.

How do they do it?

With others. Laurence also helped set up the local independent Ribble Estuary Against Fracking group with Michelle's partner and they also work with their local Green Party that's tackling the issue. And of course they work with other Friends of the Earth groups active on the issue locally like Central Lancashire Friends of the Earth and Manchester Friends of the Earth. By joint working, sharing resources and sharing brands they've been able to reach more people and manage a heavy load.

And is it fun? "The social aspect can be great," says Michelle, "but then at other times it can feel like a bit of a chore to have to go out to an evening meeting somewhere. That's until you get there though. Once there, it's always really inspiring - to be a part of a big movement, to know people care and want to do something. That helps re-energise you."

And the energy's not gone yet. Right now the group's organising around the county elections, to position fracking as a key election issue and then it's off to "Camp Frack" in Lancashire. They don't yet know if they will win locally, but they do know they are part of a much bigger movement around the country and the world and that what they are doing in Southport matters for that reason too.

I asked Michelle and Laurence what other groups can take away from what they've been doing. "Find out what others are doing and pool your energy and resources" was one key message. It's made everything above possible. And don't be afraid to "joint badge" things - bring the names of powerful organisations together to extend your reach and build your reputation. "It's more powerful than people give it credit" says Laurence.

As if that this weren't enough, Southport Friends of the Earth are also working on a 20's plenty road speed campaign, on local recycling issues, doing some local tree-planting and a bit of beach cleaning too. If you'd like to get involved with the group you can find out how right here.

There are around 200 local groups around the country. Find your nearest one and get involved here.