In this week’s listings: the Tour de Frack cycle ride from Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site in Lancashire to Third Energy’s site at Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire. Plus 30 other meetings, rallies, performances and key dates.
Please let us know (click here) if any of these details are incorrect or if other events should be included. Events listing for May and beyond here
Monday 24 April 2017
Wigan and Bolton Diggers visit Preston New Road, free transport, 8am-2pm, Bolton – Atherton – Hindley – Wigan – Preston New Road. Details and booking information
What the Frack? Theatre production by Activising for Change, telling the stories of people in the UK rising to the challenges of the fracking industry. 7.30pm-8.30pm, the corn Exchange, 126a High Street, Biggar, South Lanarkshire ML12 6DL. Details
Keep Wiltshire Frack Free April meeting, 7.30pm-9pm, Social Club, 24 Stallards Street, Newtown, Trowbridge, BA14 9AJ. Details
Public meeting on fracking, organised by Kilsyth and Villages Community Forum, 7.30pm, St Patrick’s Primary School, Backbrae Street, Kilsyth, Glasgow G65 0NA. Details
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 7.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
Tuesday 25 April 2017
Deadline for comments in Environment Agency consultation on variation of environmental permit for Cuadrilla’s site at Balcombe. Link to consultation web page.
Holy landlady and her reckless (fracking) tenant. Presentation by Chandra Vemury, who arbitrates on behalf of the planet and makes the case for a tenancy agreement between the planet (as landlady) and the human race (as tenants). Exploration for fracking will be challenged, the publicity says. 6pm-8pm, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley TS1 3BX. Details
Keep East Lancashire Frack Free Meeting, 7pm, The Old Library, Colne Road, Burnley BB10 1LL. Details
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 7.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
Wednesday 26 April 2017
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 2.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
Harthill Against Fracking meeting, 7pm-10pm, Harthill Village Hall lounge, Winney Hill, Harthill, Sheffield, S26 7YL Details
Dronfield Against Fracking meeting, 7.30pm-9pm, Gosforth Lodge, Cliffe Park, Callywhite Lane, Dronfield S18 2XP. Details
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 7.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
Thursday 27 April 2017
Tour de Frack cycle ride. Cyclists set off on a 120 mile cycle ride from Preston New Road in Lancashire to Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire. They are raising money for Preston New Road Action Group and Kirby Misperton Protection Camp. Departing Maple Farm 10.30am, passing Preston New Road 11am, Broughton 12.40pm, Longridge 1.10pm, Colne 3.55pm, Silsden 5.20pm, Ikley 6.05pm. Details
Expected date for the issue of Angus Energy’s first tranche of NEX bonds. Details DELAYED UNTIL ON OR AROUND 25 MAY 2017. Details
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 7.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
Frack Free Ashfield monthly meeting, 7.30pm-9pm, The Regent (Weatherspoons pub), Diamond Ave, Kingsway, Kirkby in Ashfield NG17 7BQ. Details
Friday 28 April 2017
Tour de Frack cycle ride: departing Ilkley 6.50am, passing through Otley 7.30am, Spofforth 9am, Easingwold, 10.40am, Hovingham 12.20pm, Amotherby 1.15pm, Great Barugh 1.30pm and arriving at the Kirby Misperton Protection Camp (2pm). Details
Family tour day at Kirby Misperton Protection Camp as the Tour de Yorkshire passes the camp entrance. Details
No Faith in Fracking, 9am-3pm, Maple Farm, Preston New Road, near Blackpool, PR4 3PE. Details
Live music anti-fracking fundraiser with Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay Live, 7pm-10pm, Marsh Lane Community Hall, Main Road, Marsh Lane, nr Sheffield S21 5RH. Details
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 7.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
Saturday 29 April 2017
Huddersfield March for Climate, Justice and Jobs, starting at 9.45am, Nelson Mandela Corner, off Victoria Lane. Details
Members of Frack Free Harrogate District providing information in Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge for Stage 2 of the Tour de Yorkshire. Details
Solidarity Saturday, organised by Residents Action on Fylde Fracking, 10am-2pm, Maple Farm, Preston New Road, near Little Plumpton, PR4 3PE. Details
Frack Free team at Notts TUC May Day rally, including speech by Paul Frost, of Frack Free Mansfield. 10.30am-1.30pm, Mansfield Civic Centre, Chesterfield Rd South, Mansfield NG19 7BH. Details
Campaign organisers training, Sheffield. Organised by Friends of the Earth. 10am-5pm, CPRE/Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Victoria Hall, 37 Stafford Road, Sheffield S2 2SF. Details
Trump & May Climate Disaster: Rise up event, 11.30am-2pm, Old Palace Yard/Westminster Bridge, London SW1. Details
Don’t frack the north rally, 1pm-2pm, Tudor Square, Sheffield S1 2LA. Details
Weekly gathering in Billingshurst, 2pm-4pm, next to Blacksmith’s Arms, corner of Adversane Lane and A29, West Sussex RH14 9JH. Contact keepbillingshurstfrackfree@mail.com for more details
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 2.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
What the Frack? Theatre production by Activising for Change, telling the stories of people in the UK rising to the challenges of the fracking industry. 3.30pm, Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre, Eastgate, Peebles EH45 8AD Details
Performance of Fracked! Or Please don’t use the F-word, 7.30pm, Malvern Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3HB. Details
Sunday 30 April 2017
Campaign organisers training, Sheffield. Organised by Friends of the Earth. 10am-5pm, CPRE/Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Victoria Hall, 37 Stafford Road, Sheffield S2 2SF. Details
Bolton Against Fracking spirit awareness event, 10am, Spirit of Sport Roundabout, Macron Stadium, Burnden Way, Bolton BL6 6JW. Details
Drilling on your doorstep, public meeting, hosted by actor Sue Jameson, with speakers: Tom Broughton (community energy), Kia Trainor (chief executive of Sussex CPRE) and Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, David Smyth, 7pm-9pm, Pulborough Village Hall, Swan View, Lower Street, Pulborough RH20 2BF. Details
Frack Free Totnes film night, 7pm-9pm, Royal Seven Stars Hotel, The Plains, Totnes TQ9 5DD. Details
Categories: Diary
DRILL OR DROP? 
Are we absolutely sure pro fracking PR firms aren’t orchestrating this own goal AGAIN by the band of brothers?
Surely there must be one half bright spark amongst you lot?
Tour de frack – two of them only? All the other BS noted above? And it will achieve diddly squat….
Of more interest is when will Cuadrilla will move the rig onto the PNR site and get drilling. Why not a score card of succesful planning applications / appeals / JRs vs anti successes?
Much more relevant.
This would help demonstrate the impartiality of this blog Ruth?????
Hi Paul
Thanks for your comment.
Regarding impartiality – DrillOrDrop does not claim to be impartial. In a debate such as this, impartiality is in the eye of the beholder and very difficult to assess. However DrillOrDrop is independent and doesn’t take money from the industry or from protest groups.
Thanks for your suggestion of a “scorecard” of planning applications etc. Ruth doesn’t compile the kind of scorecard you suggest but you can see a full breakdown of council, enquiry and court decisions, organised by date and drill site, at https://drillordrop.com/rig-watch-reports/ . There is also a page of links to timelines for each site at https://drillordrop.com/sites/
For understandable reasons, Cuadrilla have not released details of when they are likely to move the rig onsite at PNR, saying only that it will be “sometime in the second quarter” (April to June). If anyone knows more, please get in touch.
Finally, we are aware that “What’s happening this week” is dominated by anti-industry events. We’re always on the lookout for events in support of onshore oil and gas – please let us know via our Contact page https://drillordrop.com/contact/ of any events happening in your area.
Regards
Paul
Moderator, DrillOrDrop
Hi Paul they have already raised hundreds of pounds in sponsorship (to fight fracking) and other cyclists will join them and cycle with them at different stages of the route. I suspect not many people are capable of cycling circa 60 miles a day. I say good luck to them and at least it proves they aren’t funded by Russia 🙂
Good to see they’re wearing all the oil-based gear (helmet etc.).
… and is that tarmac they’re cycling on? It’s a good job there’s plenty of dubious regimes around the world we can buy oil from.
Hundreds of pounds to fight fracking? They will need a lot more than that as we have seen with all the failed appeals and failed Judicial Reviews and then they will fail in nearly every case (if not all of them AKA Roseacre which was like shooting your self in the foot). You are all wasting your time (and money) trying to stop the exploration phase. Save your efforts for any development which may happen.
Thanks Paul – I misunderstod the purpose of the website. Not to worry, the antis appear to have had almost zero success to date. Also quite a lot of difficulty understanding the planning and technical issues. The Cuadrilla rig site at PNR looks not too far off ready for a drilling rig. But it depends on how much (if any) more concrete they need to pour.