With commercial Fracking permits set to be granted in Spring next year for locations around Lancashire, two of us from the Greenpeace Manchester group joined volunteers from Liverpool and Preston and set up with 'Not for Shale' signs in Preston town centre, to see if they were aware of fracking and if they cared it was still on the agenda for the North West.
The signs, identifiable as from the company 'Wrongmove', were put over the window of an empty shop, in front of which towered our Frackometer, a fracking themed version of the fairground test your strength amusement.
We were there for four hours speaking to people, giving out leaflets and collecting signiatures on postcards with a message headed 'This is my home, and it's not for Shale' to send to the local councillors.
The Frackometer was very popular, though always very startling when ever so often there was a loud whack and a ring of the knock out bell. 'Lancashire Completely Fracked' was the top score, with unsuccessful attempts reaching heights marked by the various tragedies of fracking, including 'heavy industrial traffic' and 'earth tremours triggered'.
A small number of people passed through our party emphaticaly pro fracking, however the majority were pleased at the opportunity tell say no to fracking. The main reason expressed in support of fracking was that gas prices would reduce, which Cuadrilla themselves have said wouldn't be the case. Hopefully that myth will be clearly dispelled shortly.
It was a fun second fracking event for us from Manchester with much more planned for the next critical few months.
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