What a week!

In the week since we passed 5,000 signatures (we’ve just added another 500 to that, by the way…), we have had a question asked at Prime Minister’s Questions by one of the MPs on the line and have been part of the lead story on BBC TV news for the Eastern Region (see www.samuelshoesmith.uk/trains/plug.mp4). Political parties have started putting the issue on the front of their leaflets in some places too, and we are getting several newspaper articles a week from one place or another. Yet _still_ this campaign is struggling. Put quite simply, despite the amazing generosity of some, we are drastically short of money. I launched the campaign by adding to the already large overspend in the household ‘campaigning’ budget. I have been exceedingly frugal with the £265 donations I have received (thanks to those generous people), but people anxious to hand out leaflets don’t have any to hand out, and we need to spread the message to more people further north (where I already have willing leafletters available in some important places!). If you can make a donation, please email me on ben.foley@greenparty.org.uk. I’m still hoping to be able to set up a way to donate by paypal (but it is more complicated due to one already having been opened in my name). If you are a member of Bedford Commuters’ Association, please write to admin@bedfordcommuters.org.uk, to thank them for paying for the leaflets they handed out yesterday, but to ask them to spend on campaigning some of the more-than-£1000 they _still_ have in the bank. Oh, and please don’t forget to renew your membership (due now)! If you are neither able to contribute financially yourself, nor are a member of BCA, you can still help enormously. Soon I will be asking you to send in full consultation responses, but in the meantime, please write letters to your local papers. Please write to any businesses/employers/community groups/patient groups etc who you think are likely to be affected. Particularly if you live or work anywhere Kettering or further north, please keep writing to your councillors and council leadership, as well as your MPs http://writetothem.com/. If you have friends/relatives etc Kettering or further north, please let them know about this, and ask them to write to MPs, councillors etc, too. There are also leaflets and posters you can print at home yourself at www.facebook.com/groups/EastMidlandsPassengers/files/ Finally, future events: Thursday 21st – evening – public meeting in Bedford, with the Mayor, local MP(s) etc venue TBA (still!). Mon 25th, 6-8pm The Park Inn, Bedford, EXTRA official DfT ‘consultation event’ (I’m guessing this is the Park Inn close to the river, not the other one!). Date TBA EXTRA official DfT ‘consultation event’. Other ‘consultation events’: London, 19th Sept, 12pm to 2pm, St Pancras Community Association, 67 Plender St NW1 0LB; Leicester, 21st Sept, 11am to 1pm, African Caribbean Centre, Maidstone Road LE2 0UA; Sheffield, 27th Sept, 11am to 1pm Sheffield Town Hall S1 2HH We’ve had an amazing week: let’s keep pushing on for more successes!