Recently the membership of our little webgroup nonchalantly strolled past the 100-mark.
I was rather pleased by this, given that we've only existed for about 40 months.
This got me thinking about the importance of numbers and so I decided that I would write a blog outlining Greenpeace Waltham Forest in numbers – and try to get it to add up to 100.
So here I go:
17 – as in E17. Our catchment area covers Leyton, Leytonstone, Tottenham, Chingford, Crouch End, Stratford and beyond but the heart of the group is very much in E17; Walthamstow to you and me.
Obviously the East 17 postcode also has connections to an extremely awful boy band but we shan’t go into that. I’m going to stay on topic (STAY NOW!!).
53 – The address of Ye Olde Rose and Crown is 53-55 Hoe Street. This is where we have our meetings on the first Wednesday of the month.
There’s an open mic on afterwards and it’s not unheard of for someone to get up and perform. There are alcohol-fuelled grand plans for a big musical group performance. Maybe one day...
12 – We usually average about 12 attendees at each of our 12 meetings a year. We try to arrange at least 12 public campaign events over the course of a year too.
Andrew Lloyd Webber was in the pub when we were having a meeting once. He didn’t pull up a chair and introduce himself but he would have been welcome if he had. Everyone is.
8 – The number of Greenpeace Waltham Forest activists who have participated in some form of direct action over the last three years. We’re really proud to have such a dedicated bunch among our team.
But it’s not all about direct action, you know. We have people who lobby politicians, organise events, provide legal support and video events. All of them are volunteers and many have been trained in these areas by Greenpeace.
You can be trained too if you get involved.
4 – We started branching out into hosting local events last year and have now had 4 very successful ones; a fundraising gig, a film night, a community outreach event and a photography exhibition at the E17 Art trail.
We’re always open to ideas for events so if that’s the sort of thing you’re into, you’ll find a willing audience with us.
9 – My constant badgering of my fellow volunteers to write blogs like this one is paying off. We’ve now had submissions from 9 different Waltham Forest activists.
You can write anything you like here. We’ve had poetry, reflections on the green movement, weather analysis, holiday snaps of dogs and diaries from a ship. We're an eclectic bunch and that's reflected in our blogs.
And now for the payoff:
17+53+12+8+4+9 =....
103.
Oh dear, much like our membership I’ve gone past the hundred mark without anyone realising.
So, if we are all to enjoy a more mathematically satisfying blog for when we reach 200, we’re going to need more people at meetings, more bloggers, more events, more lobbyists, and more fun things to write about.
That’s where you come in.
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