A busy day for BP!

Telford Greenpeace was represented in London yesterday, delivering our 'No Tar Sands' messages from the people of Telford to BP headquarters. Just before leaving for the train station we were delighted to see in the news that Greenpeace activists had shut down 50 BP forecourts around London - well done to all of them! This, in addition to BP's announcement of huge second quarter losses and Tony Hayward's replacement, meant that outside BP HQ was awash with news crews when we arrived in the mid-afternoon!

Spencer and Matt at BP HQ main entrance

We, along with other networks from North Wales, Greenwich, Salisbury, Tyne & Wear, SW London and Dorchester (all fifteen of us!) set up calmly with our 'No Tar Sands' posters, donned our Greenpeace tabards and went about our direct communication with BP employees. We were expecting nerves to be somewhat frayed in light of the days events but a number of employees took our leaflets and I only noticed one person handing one back!

All the networks in attendance

Apparently, as the BP press office had been pushed to its limits by the busy day they'd had nobody was available to come and meet us in order for us to hand over our messages, so instead they were given to George Nanos, head of security. He politely received our posters, displaying the opinions of hundreds of people opposed to BPs investment in the Canadian tar sands - and a number of souvenirs from all the Greenpeace networks in attendance (including some Ironbridge memorabilia, a tennis ball and a bottle of brown ale) for BP to remember us all by.

Handing over our No Tar Sands posters

...and souvenir postcards of Ironbridge and the Tar Tunnel

After a quick surprise visit from Greenpeace Executive Director, John Sauven, it was time to remove our glorious tabards and begin our respective journeys home. It was a brilliant day and all three of us (Matt, Spencer and I) were delighted to have been a part of it. It was fascinating to see how different everyone's posters were and the messages that had been written to BP from people across the country. I think my personal favourite was on a petal on Tyne & Wear's poster that simply said 'Divn't do it, like' - well said!