Animal Welfare Party Cheshire East

A BIG thank you to everyone who came along to join in our peaceful protest outside Wigan Town Hall today, part of our ongoing tour of Greater Manchester council stakeholders in Manchester Airports Group plc, who are regularly flying endangered macaque monkeys into the UK for the animal testing industry.

We had a lot of interest from Wigan councillors, and we're hoping the issue will be raised as a formal motion at the next full council meeting on 22nd July.

The national political spotlight is on Wigan at the moment, ahead of what's billed as the country's most important by-election for a century. But Wigan is now also in the position of being able to use its political voice, through the council, to demand that the airport STOP its live primate imports, putting it potentially at the centre of efforts to end the horrific trade in lives that makes the North West the UK gateway for monkeys destined for vivisection labs.

Come on Wigan, do the right thing!

** PEACEFUL PROTEST, 27TH MAY **

Please join us in Wigan at 12 noon on Wednesday 27th May where we'll be continuing our ongoing protest tour of Manchester Airport's stakeholder councils asking them to help STOP the live imports of endangered long-tailed macaque monkeys for UK animal testing laboratories.

Lifts and travel buddies available from Alsager, message us if needed!

Demo co-hosted by Animal Welfare Party and Cheshire Animal Rights Campaigns.

And if you haven't signed the related petition yet, please do so at https://c.org/XNhxFX4dfR.

👊👊👊👊

A big thank you to everyone who voted AWP for people, animals and environment!

📍Update on AWP’s results in the Scottish Parliament & England Local Elections:

🏵️ In the Edinburgh & Lothians East Region, Scottish Parliament Elections
AWP received 2032 votes / 0.6%

➡️ We ranked 9th out of 22 parties - on a tiny campaign budget and almost no media coverage!

🙏🏼We sincerely thank all those voting for and supporting our candidates in the Edinburgh & Lothians East region. 💚

👉🏽In Local Elections in England our results were:

🏵️ Gavin Ridley, Branksome West & Penn Hill ward, Poole Town Council 365 votes / 5% of votes cast

🏵️ Mike Kelson, Lavender Fields ward, Merton, London 108 votes / 1.3% of votes cast

🏵️ Jacqui Cook, Hemingford Grey & Houghton ward, Huntingdonshire 96 votes / 2.3% of votes cast

🏵️ Sasha Jolliffe Yasawi, Winton East, Charminster West & Talbot Woods ward, Poole Town Council 182 votes / 2.4% of votes cast

🏵️ Paul Graham, Bicester West ward, Cherwell District Council 89 votes / 1.7% of votes cast

💡In each of these wards Animal Welfare Party stood for the first time ever and, we believe, our candidates made a small piece of history, asserting as they did that animal issues cannot be sidelined in political decision-making.

💚 From the bottom of our hearts, we thank all those voting for AWP yesterday, all those supporting our candidates in person and online, and our members and supporters for making our candidacies possible!

📈Onwards for animals. Thank you! 👊🏼

Check out all our amazing candidates standing up for people, animals and environment in various parts of the UK today ...

Bravo Jacqui 👊👊

Animal Welfare Party local election candidates were among the speakers at World Day for Animals In Laboratories in Trafalgar Square at the weekend ...

** Please sign and share! **

Animal Welfare Party, alongside our colleagues at Cheshire Animal Rights Campaigns and Action For Primates, is calling on Manchester Airport plc to stop the ongoing live imports of endangered long-tailed macaques destined for UK vivisection laboratories.

Long-tailed macaques are designated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN Red List, and we urge Manchester Airport and its stakeholders to act accordingly in line with the ethical and environmental aims of their Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.

This campaign needs you now Manchester Airport; Protect long-tailed macaques in your CSR Strategy

Please share with your networks!

📣Animal Welfare Party is delighted to announce that it will stand in the region of Edinburgh and Lothians East in the upcoming Scottish Parliament Election on 7th May.

🗳️Animal Welfare Party’s party list candidates for the region are: Mark Scott, Lee Williscroft-Ferris, Vivienne Moir & Jane Smith.

📍Animal Welfare Party’s vision for Scotland includes:

🐒 Leading on ending animal testing by using all levers to promote the development of animal-free science in Scotland

🌱 Improving human health, saving vital NHS funds & acting on climate breakdown by promoting a transition to healthy & sustainable plant-based diets

🐈 Introducing Animal Welfare & Sentience into the Scottish school curriculum

🐟 Strengthening existing farmed animal welfare legislation to include farmed fish & crustaceans and halting salmon farm expansion

🦜Prioritising companion animal welfare by stopping the sale of animals online & in shops, phasing out the exotic pet trade and making ‘pet theft’ a specific offence

🐦 Ending the guga hunt and improving protections for all Scottish seabirds

🦔 Ensuring mandatory consideration for wild animals & their habitats in all new planning applications

🐖 Banning the use of farrowing crates for pigs and cages for laying hens & gamebirds

🐕‍🦺 Outlawing electric shock collars for Scotland’s dogs and ending breed-specific legislation

🎆 Leading on alternatives to fireworks displays such as laser, drone & light shows, reducing distress for people & animals

👉🏽 More about our candidates & campaign at: www.animalwelfareparty.org/current-elections/2026-scottish-parliament-elections (link in bio).

3️⃣ This will be the third time that Animal Welfare Party has contested the Scottish Parliament elections.

🙏🏻We thank all our Members, Suppoters & those who’ve voted for us before, giving us the resources and encouragement to stand in the Scottish Parliament elections again.

📈 Likes & shares greatly appreciated 💚

This week in Manchester city centre ...

** Applications Deadline Tomorrow! **

🔜 There’s still time to apply to stand as an AWP candidate in the May 7th elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and Local Elections in certain parts of England - but hurry, the deadline is approaching…

📍Deadline: please submit applications by midnight on 27th February 2026.  

🗳️ The aim? Animal Welfare Party is hoping field ‘party list’ candidates in Scotland and Wales and individual ward / mayoral candidates in England. 

📢 Why stand? We see standing for election as a direct way of raising awareness of animal, environmental and social issues that aren’t receiving the attention they deserve - like the horrific import of endangered animals into the UK to supply animal testing laboratories here.

💚There are no particular educational or professional qualifications needed to stand as a candidate, just a passion for creating a fairer world for animals, environment and people.

🫵🏽If you’re interested in applying to stand as an AWP candidate in these elections, please complete our online form at:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJHMp4ArorTdl_McKnmhcahZYKIHJUh8u9u3Mb4RBQ-PF_SA/viewform (link in bio)

🗓️ Don’t forget, the deadline submit applications is midnight on 27th February 2026.  

We welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, racial, ethnic or social origin, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Although legislation currently stipulates that candidates must be 18+, there is no upper age limit. 

🎥 Need more info? Watch a recording of our recent elections webinar at: 

https://youtu.be/HhDsqeHSjfI?si=m7eAC_rhoLRyicfh (link in bio).

📈 Shares greatly appreciated. 💚

🗓️ This May, elections take place for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd alongside local elections in England.

🥾Hundreds of representatives will be elected for 4 and 5 year terms but how much consideration will they pay to the needs of the non-human residents of their local areas?

🫵🏽 Could you stand as a candidate to help influence that and bring about change to the way in which animals and nature are perceived and policies benefit the needs of all residents - the human and non-human?

🐦‍⬛Join us on 11th January 2pm to 3.30pm for an online information session and find out more about what’s involved in standing as an AWP candidate / supporting other candidates in the May 2026 elections.

This event will be held online (via Zoom) and is open to all (not restricted to AWP Members, although becoming an AWP member is a prerequisite for applying to be a candidate for us).

Join the event via the link below (link also in bio): 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86846766619

Shares appreciated. 💚