Celebrity Connections at the ANIMA Event

Celebrity Connections at the ANIMA Event
There is a wide and varied array of celebrities associated with the organisations which are exhibiting at the Anima event at Brockenhurst Village Community Centre in the New Forest on Saturday September 30th from 10 AM to 5 PM. (Just 10mins fast train from Southampton and Bournemouth stations.)

Some founders are celebrities in their own right. Jane Goodall uses her voice to advocate for the dignity and well-being of all living things, speaking out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves as fellow inhabitants of this shared earth. She has been joined at times by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Pierce Brosnan and Chalize Theron.

Colin Firth has supported Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots programme for the last seven years. He is a strong advocate for environmental matters and sustainable practice which he employs in all aspects of his life and work.

Colin says “We live in turbulent times. Economic, political and environmental challenges are the order of the day. In a world with increasing social unrest and discontent, Roots & Shoots offers us a constructive way forward, by engaging and motivating our next generation towards creating a sustainable planet and a brighter future for our environment and all its inhabitants.”

Born Free Foundation
Born Free was a 1966 British drama film starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her into the wilderness of Kenya. Born Free, and its musical score by John Barry, won numerous awards.

In 1984 Pole Pole, an African Elephant that had starred in the film 'AN ELEPHANT CALLED SLOWLY' with Bill and Virginia died in London Zoo and gave rise to the whole debate on the ethics of keeping animals in zoos. Bill and Virginia established Zoo Check to amplify the voice of this debate. And the Zoocheck programme remains at the heart of Born Free Foundation’s work to prevent captive animal suffering and phase out zoos.This is why Born Free is supported by celebrities like Joanna Lumley, Martin Clunes, Bryan Adams, Rachel Hunter, Helen Worth, Jenny Seagrove, John Cleese, Amanda Holden and Peter Andre.

Orangutan Appeal UK

Paul O'Grady became Patron of Orangutan Appeal UK following a visit to Sepilok recue centre in September 2015. Paul says “ Meeting the baby orangutans was heart-wrenching, I immediately fell in love with baby Archie which has inspired me to get involved.

Compassion in World Farming Dead Zone

Desmond Tutu
"I hope we will learn that we are related to animals and to nature, and if we destroy the balance we are ultimately going to suffer and pay the price."

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
"All over the world now, we’ve got booming populations with an increasing voracious appetite to eat meat. And it’s too much meat – for human health; for the welfare of farm animals; for our environment to sustain. We need a massive rethink."

Animal Equality

Musician Moby says
"There’s so much work for me to do. There’s so much work for you to do, but we’re winning and we’re going to win a lot sooner than we think we are."

Artist and entrepreneur Kat Von D says
"I believe it's our right to know what is really happening behind closed doors. And now, thanks to Animal Equality's investigations, we have the power to see, understand, and take action.”

Population Matters

Sir David Attenborough
“The human population can no longer be allowed to grow in the same old uncontrolled way. If we do not take charge of our population size, then nature will do it for us and it is the poor people of the world who will suffer
most.”

Susan Hampshire OBE
“It’s been so obvious to me for so long that cramming ever more people onto our little planet does it ever more damage — I can not understand why so many people find this so hard to grasp, and why so many Governments ignore it.”

James Lovelock CH CBE FRS PhD
Originator of the Gaia Theory
“Those who fail to see that population growth and climate change are two sides of the same coin are either ignorant or hiding from the truth. These two huge environmental problems are inseparable and to discuss one while ignoring the other is irrational.”

Chris Packham
Naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author
“There’s no point bleating about the future of pandas, polar bears and tigers when we’re not addressing the one single factor that’s putting more pressure on the ecosystem than any other — namely the ever-increasing size of the world’s population

The Badger Trust

Speaking on behalf of the Badger Trust, Chris Packham also had candid words about what is happening to Badgers.

"And so the injustice goes on. The suffering, the cruelty, the waste. The lives of badgers, the time, the money, the cast quantities of our taxpayers money wasted because the government simply won't listen to the science, won't make an evidence based decision on this issue. History will remember this as a dark time in the management of the UK's countryside and its wildlife.And opposing it is getting tougher simply because its in danger of becoming 'normalised' and that just won't do. It's not normal, it's not justifiable, it's not right".

Mike Dilger, Naturalist and TV presenter, says
“I’m delighted to be involved with the Badger Trust’s ‘Give Badgers a Brake Campaign’ and would implore anyone who has an interest in Britain’s wonderfully diverse wildlife to get behind this wonderfully proactive initiative. It’s unfortunately true that the only badger most people will have seen is a dead one by the side of the road, but with the collective will and support of the Great British public we can turn around this depressing statistic”

Sea Shepherd

Sea Shepherd's inspiration and bravery cannot fail to move so many to support their cause including The Architects,Pamela Anderson,Beau Bridges,Boston,Brigitte Bardot,Christian Bale,Curtis Stone,The Dalai Lama,Daryl Hannah,The Grateful Dead,Martin Sheen,Michelle Rodriguez,Red Hot Chilli Peppers,Sam Simon,Sean Connery and Sean Penn.

Two Celebrities are attending to speak. For Population Matters Adrian Hayes the record-breaking adventurer, author, keynote speaker, leadership & team coach / consultant, documentary presenter and campaigner who has achieved more major goals the past ten years than most people in the world two Guinness world records, two books and three documentaries. Adrian has featured in two documentaries: the 2011 National Geographic Channel ‘Greenland Quest’ and the 2013 Discovery Channel ‘Footsteps of Thesiger’ and is now an establishing television and documentary presenter. His first book, ‘Footsteps of Thesiger’, was published in 2013 and his second book, ‘K2 – The Tragedy and the Triumph’, will be published in 2018.

Adrian says
“I’ve seen melting ice caps with my own eyes and got very wet in the process. But, as a passionate promoter of economic, social and environmental sustainability, it is pointless campaigning against climate change or to ‘save the Arctic’ without addressing the root cause behind it and virtually every other environmental or indeed social issue we face: our unsustainable numbers on this planet. That is the real inconvenient truth.”

Keith Taylor the Green MEP for the South East of England.
In his role as an MEP, Keith sits on the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism and the Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety committee. Keith is also Vice President of the UK’s Local Government Association Group in the European Parliament, Vice Chair of the parliament’s Intergroup on animal welfare and a member of the parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI Rights. Keith is Vice Chair of the European Alzheimer’s Alliance

No More Dodos Is the host for the ANIMA EVENT.
Formed just 2 years ago, No More Dodos is a registered charity dedicated to highlighting the problems of habitat and biodiversity loss, with all its attendant causes to promote the work of those who are trying to halt its progress and to encourage individuals to take personal action.To do this we are uniquely using art and sport in their widest senses to inspire a concern amongst a wider population to bring about changes that are so necessary to save the planet and lifeforms we share it with.

No More Dodos has a number of well known people from the worlds of Art and Sport as Ambassadors. These include Actress Carol Royle , the late and truly great playwright and poet Heathcote Williams and legendary goalkeeper Gordon Banks.

Spike Milligan famously told us he was ill.
He also warned us time and time again that the planet was sick and, with his inevitable raw honesty, that the majority of us - in the way we were treating the earth and the animals we share it with - were pretty sick too.

No More Dodos is establishing an annual environmental awards event. It will celebrate Spike’s long-term contribution and passion for this cause, and recognise the work of organisations and individuals who are actively involved in this cause. The first awards event is planned to be in 2018.

As well as providing a platform for all the exhibitors attending, the ANIMA event is intended to be a feeder fundraiser for the awards which will be given on that evening which will be on 17th November 2018 at Hoxton Hall London.

To kick off the fundraising there will be some very exclusive cards available for sale for the very first time on 30th September. Actress Rita Tushingham has created images of pandas and rhinos and Carol Royle has created an elephant card. World Cup Hero Gordon Banks has signed a number of 'pop art’ posters of his legendary ‘Impossible save’ from Pele. Spike’s manager, the wonderful Norma Farnes,has offered the use of drawings by Spike, from Milliganimals.

And we are hoping that some very special guests will find time to attend too.
There will be nearly 30 stalls from a wide and varied range of exhibitors to give us all ideas of how to tread more gently on the planet. Plus there is an art exhibition, workshops, music, talks, films, and lots of good eats which won't cost the earth.
If you are in any way interested in animals and the planet we live on, this should be the day for you.

Entrance to Anima is a very affordable suggested donation of £2.50 per person and £5 for a family.

For all press and other enquiries please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462
Photo reference available