To amplify our campaign further and to enable as many people as possible to get involved, we are organising 24 hour strikes on/around Mother’s Day, 30th March 2025, in locations across the country.

We are really excited about the potential impact of these strikes, with women all over the UK standing together, in solidarity with all those struggling to feed themselves and their children.

Together we will be an incredibly powerful voice.

Regional strikes can take place anywhere - wherever there are people who want to join!

To maximise media coverage of 2025’s regional strikes, hunger strikers from a wider area will ideally come together in a public space in a town or city. The more people we have at these gatherings, the more attention they are likely to attract. However, please don’t be put off if you are a small group or if you are a lone striker - your voice will be raised and amplified by UK-wide coverage of everyone involved.

When thinking about specific locations for a strike, consider how visible the space is where you are planning to gather, and how many passers-by you could reach out to whilst you are there. Engaging passers-by in conversation about Mothers Manifesto is a great way to keep your spirits up whilst striking, and helps to spread the word and encourage others to get involved.

There is also the option of joining us in London. We will again be holding a longer strike outside Parliament as we did in 2023 and 2024.

You are welcome to join us for as many days as you are able, whether a few hours helping with leafleting or the whole 5 day strike; all support is welcome.

We have accommodation and can also support travel costs, so please let us know if you would like further information.

The regional strikes will last for 24 hours, and we welcome all mothers and supporters.

Due to our successful 2024 fundraiser, we have the means to support any mothers or supporters who wish to join our campaign on the ground, in London, or their local area. If finances are an obstacle to your taking part, please get in touch via this short, confidential form, as we would love to have you join us.

Essentially, all you will need is yourself. Hopefully you will also have other mums happy to join you on the strike, plus any friends (mothers or otherwise) who might be happy to come and support you on the day.

Once you have registered your interest in joining us, we can set up a WhatsApp group for your region to get started. From there you can add anyone you’d like to join, to grow your group and plan your strike!

• Remember that you may be colder than normal due to not eating. Wear layers of warm clothes; thermals, hat, gloves, warm boots etc.

• We may also need some sun protection, fingers crossed!

• Waterproofs and a brolly if wet. Black or pink brollies are great.

• A folding camping chair can be nice for tired feet.

• Flask and cup for warm drinks.

• Water bottle with plenty of water.

• For larger groups, it can be useful to purchase or borrow a gazebo to set up in the event of rain e.g. here

• If you have any health concerns about fasting for 24 hours, please check with your GP.

• We have Mothers Manifesto patches and badges to wear, and leaflets to hand out. These will be sent before the strikes to each group. Keep an eye on the WhatsApp groups for information on how to request these.

• Our brand colours are black and pink - so if you own or can borrow any clothing or outer layers in these colours, this looks great for press and social media images! But also not essential.

• We are coming together as Mothers, and this unity has been so powerful in opening doors and building meaningful connections. To maintain this clear and cohesive message, we kindly ask everyone to refrain from bringing logos, flags, or other branding from other organisations and activist groups. Thank you for helping us keep this a united effort!

• A sandwich board to show you are on hunger strike - you may be able to borrow one, otherwise you can order one online for example here. These are great to write on with chalk pens as signage to show what you are doing: ‘Mothers’ Hunger Strike’.

• A table set with empty plates and messaging. This really grabs attention and highlights the reality of those facing food insecurity. We have used a foldable wallpaper pasting table, which you may already have / can borrow / buy locally in a hardware shop. Alternatively you can order one here. For a tablecloth we used a pink tablecloth with a bit of black material across the middle, which looked quite effective...

• Alternatively you could use a small table with just one empty plate, painted or not, with a knife and fork. This is a simpler option that would still be good for bringing attention to the realities of food insecurity

• A selection of plates with our messaging on. We found plain secondhand white plates and painted them with blackboard paint. We also gave them a pink rim with acrylic paint. Messaging including Mothers Manifesto demands can be written on them in chalk pens. See examples.

• Chalk pens for messaging can be ordered here.

• To be reimbursed for materials, please email us with your receipts. mothersmanifesto@gmail.com

• Throughout our hunger strikes we have been making a collection of hand made hearts. We take these hearts with us on our actions and into Parliament. These hearts have our children’s names along with the names of children from across the globe from the UK to Gaza, Africa and Australia.

• These hearts are with us in everything we do, as a representation of our collective children, their lives and their voices. Their presence is incredibly moving and powerful.

• We want to show the compassion and connection that drives us to fight for the lives of every child. These hand stitched hearts are easy to make and allow us to each take a moment to think of a child close to our hearts.

• They can also be a great thing to do whilst on hunger strike, passers by can also be invited to join in making one!

• Here's how to make one!

We have a PR company working with us to promote this year’s strikes, and we will be putting out a press release through them. We will also create a press release for local press which you can adapt and send out. Getting in touch with local media to let them know what you’re doing is a great way of amplifying your strike and our campaign.

It’s been amazing the amount of impact we have had in spite of being such a small group, connecting with cross party MPs, other organisations and generating a huge amount of positive press including national TV and radio along with local and national newspapers. It seems small groups of mothers can be hugely impactful.

• Having support from your local MP is a great way to bring attention to your actions, and to connect regional strikes to the 5 day strike outside parliament, where many MPs will see Mothers Manifesto strikers on their way to work.

• You can email your MP, by finding their email address here: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons.

• Whatever party, they may well be interested in supporting you and even visiting your strike, as Mothers Manifesto has had cross-party support. Find out more advice on how to connect with your representatives here.

Of course, the more mums and more groups we have, the greater our reach and our impact. Here are a few suggestions for growing these strikes- although of course you may come up with other ideas!

• First tell your friends! This is how Mothers Manifesto started and the easiest way to grow our campaign. Friends from further afield might start a group in their area - this would be fab!

• Let people know via your social media, or any local WhatsApp groups. Along with a personal message from yourself you could also share this post

• Contact local press to let them know what's planned and invite people to join you

• Contact other local groups who have a shared interest. This may be directly around protecting the right to food or more widely around our demands, both local and global. How about other mums at school or your local WI or faith groups and of course other activist groups?

• Our plate pictures are an ongoing gallery of mothers who have pledged their support and/or joined us on hunger strike. It’s really simple to do - just share a photo of yourself holding a light, plain plate.

• Send it on direct message on Instagram or email to mothersmanifesto@gmail.com and we will add the logo and post on our channels. It’s a great way to unite us, particularly as we embark on the regional strikes in different places around the UK.

• Here’s a little post with more info on how to create your image...