After the House of Commons passed the hunting ban in February, Alun Michael remarked: "if people wish to continue their opposition to legislation, they have the option of the ballot box through which to express their views."

We now need your help in responding to this challenge in the run-up to the general election. Working in conjunction with Vote-OK, the aim of the North Cotswold Hunt Political Campaign is actively to help oust pro-ban MPs and replace them with pro-repeal MPs. Several pro-ban MPs near the North Cotswold country hold slender majorities, and where the hunt can be confident that a challenger will support the repeal of the ban we can assist their election campaign. In sufficiently marginal seats, strong local campaigning together with any national swing can make a real difference to the result.

Vote-OK is not aligned with any political party. Not all pro-ban MPs are Labour, and Vote-OK is not restricting itself to targeting Labour MPs. They are simply aiming to enable supportive Prospective Parliamentary Candidates to access a well organised group of volunteers in a manner relevant and useful to their overall campaign.

On April 2nd, thirty-five members of the NCH went campaigning in a near-by marginal constituency and in two hours distributed over 8,000 leaflets. This was a great success, and we are now looking for volunteers to help distribute more leaflets on Saturday 30th April and Wednesday May 4th. For those who cannot make those dates, there will be other opportunities to help, including on election-day itself, which we believe will be Thursday May 5th. For those NCH subscribers living in London, an evening helping with the campaign in one of the many London marginals is being organized.

All those who are interested are invited to a drinks party on Saturday 23rd April, 6-8pm (details should arrive in the post, otherwise please contact us via email). We look forward to seeing you there.

Freddie Holmes e-mail flt@theculture.org

Gina Farrow e-mail gina@theculture.org

More information on Vote-OK