Supporter of the Week: Adam Roxby

Hannah Booth

04 August 2011

To celebrate Friends of the Earth's 40th anniversary, I've been talking to some of the supporters who've made it all possible. Adam Roxby (right), nurse and new father, heads up Friends of the Earth group in Harwich.

"I set up the Harwich local group a year ago. We have about 15 active members including a 10-year-old boy and his mum, a retired teacher, an accountant, a medical secretary and a photographer.

"My job is to find ways to switch people on about issues.

"We try to sign up to at least one national [Friends of the Earth] campaign a year, and we're aware of being part of a big national - even international - organisation. But most of our work is local.

We're currently in the early stages of creating a green guide to local businesses - I think it could become an iphone app  

"We are also opposing an application for Harwich to become a deep-sea container port. 

"I try to make it fun. We meet in a pub once a month and have a drink afterwards. We have outings, speakers and film screenings.

"We're on Facebook, Twitter and have our own blog. Everyone takes charge of different things - no-one wants to hear my voice all the time.

"I give about an hour a day to Friends of the Earth - I'm not sure where I find the time as I'm a student nurse with a baby."

 If you'd like to get involved in tackling issues in your area, find your local group. If there isn't a group already in your area, why not do what Adam did and start your own local group?

Next week: Liz Jensen. To see all the supporters I've interviewed, visit our 40th anniversary gallery.

Hannah Booth also writes Lives Less Ordinary.