Members of anti-fracking groups in Sefton and west Lancashire have been paying tribute to their friend and campaigner, Moira O’Mahoney, who died recently.

Tribute by Frack Free Formby

Sadly, Moira O’Mahoney, a founder member of Frack Free Formby, recently passed away after a lengthy illness which she fought bravely against.

Frack Free Formby was formed in 2016 while Aurora Energy Resources was conducting seismic surveys on various streets in the town. Formby was entirely covered by PEDLs, half being in licence area 164 and the other half in licence area 261, both held by Aurora.

Moira threw herself into activities to raise awareness of the threats raised by using fracking to recover shale gas. She was an active participant in a series of local public meetings, in presentations to local politicians, and in the creation of a stall which was run on Fridays in Formby town centre to stimulate local interest.

Moira took over as chair of the group early in 2018 when her predecessor left the area. She was immediately required to formally address Sefton Council while presenting a petition containing 3,600 names calling for a ban on fracking in the borough. She also helped to establish a local alliance of anti-fracking groups, which was formed as Aurora took steps towards seeking planning permission for a drilling site at Great Altcar, close to Formby, but just inside Lancashire.

Over the next twelve months she helped organise regular public meetings, led groups attending Aurora’s public exhibitions, and helped make presentations to all twelve local parish councils that were potentially affected by fracking in PEDL 164. Once Aurora submitted its planning application in July 2019 to Lancashire County Council, Moira helped stimulate widespread objections and illustrate the shortcomings in the application data.

In October 2019 Aurora was formally required by the County Council to provide additional information sought by consultees. A month later, however (in November 2019), the government introduced a moratorium on fracking schemes. This did not inhibit planning applications, but had the effect of refusing future approvals by regulators to hydraulic fracture plans.

Although Aurora provided some additional information in December 2019 in support of its planning application, Moira helped expose its deficiencies and consultees reinforced their objections at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020. A second attempt by Aurora to provide more information in May 2020 was also regarded as inadequate by consultees.

Despite lockdowns, the opportunity was taken by local anti-fracking groups to create a public petition to be presented to the County Council against Aurora’s proposal. Moira and others worked hard to maximise the opposition, which eventually numbered 6,200 names. In July 2020 Aurora withdrew its planning application, before it was in all probability going to be refused.

The issue re-emerged during the Liz Truss premiership in September/October 2022 when ideas began to be canvassed about ways of circumventing existing planning and regulatory controls, and fracking was being described as the solution to the UKs energy supply problem.  Moira helped launch a public campaign on social media to point out pitfalls, and counteract the claims and propaganda being circulated by the fracking industry. 

Moira  leaves a husband and two sons. She will be greatly missed for her warmth, generosity and intelligence.  Her contribution in highlighting the risks of fracking was considerable and she will not be forgotten.

Tribute by Frack Free Lancashire and The Moss Alliance

What more can we possibly add to Frack Free Formby’s tribute?  Moira was absolutely at the forefront of the anti-fracking movement from the formation of Frack Free Formby on 9th August 2016.  From the perspective of all areas under the threat of fracking, from FFL and The Moss Alliance and countrywide, her contribution to raising awareness on a grand scale and tackling the industry mis-information head-on was enormous!  Formby, in Sefton, was certainly the town that would have borne the brunt of Aurora’s fruitless plans to frack at Altcar Moss which was only just over the border in West Lancashire.  Residents needed to know the full extent of the consequences and Moira told them in no uncertain terms.  Support from the community for FFF inevitably grew.

Following on from the moratorium on fracking in 2019 Moira expressed her hope for “a shutdown meeting of FFF”, albeit that it may have only been temporary.   As her health deteriorated from July 2020 her devotion to protecting Formby, actually the whole of the UK, from the documented dangers and consequences of fracking never waned.  Throughout her treatment she continued to monitor the ever-present threat which culminated in the short-lived lifting of the moratorium in 2022.  She was instrumental though in organising the FFF celebration in November 2022 of the re-imposition of the moratorium.

It is indisputable that without Moira’s tireless efforts, and those of her fellow activists continually raising awareness, by spending so much of their time that could have been otherwise spent with families and loved ones over the years, public attitudes would not have turned so dramatically to opposition.  This made and makes fracking untouchable for governments past and present.   Thank you Moira.