Our impact in May

At the end of each month, we look through all of the amazing wins, press hits, and powerful moments of impact that supporters have pulled off recently. We are always floored by what we can do together in just one month by taking actions large and small on phones and laptops across the country. This May was no exception.

In fact, it’s been a massive milestone month. So far this year, our community has taken nearly 5 million actions together! At a time when progress can feel a bit slow, take a moment to feel proud of that – and to feel proud of every time we’ve helped prove that, together, we can speak out, be heard, and push for the change this country needs. Here is a snapshot of what happened in May:

Forcing an Ofcom investigation into GB News

Do you remember that GB News interview with Donald Trump six months ago? It was essentially a free pass for him to peddle misinformation and hurl insults, all with barely any challenge from the journalist. We knew media regulator Ofcom might just look the other way unless we made a massive fuss, so that’s exactly what this community did. 67,103 of us stepped up to submit a mass complaint and now Ofcom has finally launched a formal investigation!

Spreading A Million Acts of Hope on our streets

Hatred has been too loud lately, but our community chose to be a shining light. We teamed up with over 200 charities, including HOPE Not Hate and Crisis for A Million Acts of Hope, a nationwide push to drown out divisive voices. Hundreds of us ordered ‘Hope Lives Here’ posters to display proudly in our windows and an incredible 54,318 of us also stepped up to sign the UK’s biggest ever thank you card! Together, we helped create a massive, collective tribute to the everyday people who make life a little easier and the world a bit brighter – from the volunteers at the local toddler drop-in to the people donating to food banks. By adding our names, we helped prove that kindness is the quiet majority and that when we come together, hope and community spirit will always beat hate.

A £20 million reckoning for British Gas

Back in 2023, the 38 Degrees community was right at the forefront of the fight against callous energy companies, with over 100,000 of us demanding an end to the forced installation of prepayment meters in vulnerable peoples’ homes. Well, last month, that pressure resulted in a massive victory: British Gas has been ordered to pay £20 million in compensation to the struggling families it targeted. It’s a powerful reminder that the fights we take on today pave the way for real justice down the line.

Freeing the SeaLife Penguins

When we heard about the captive penguins being kept in poor conditions at Sea Life London, our community jumped into action without a second thought. Alongside signing our petition, hundreds of us took the fight straight to the company. We flooded TripAdvisor with targeted reviews, calling on Sea Life London to do the right thing and release the penguins to a proper sanctuary. And just last week, they announced these penguins will get a better enclosure with natural light and a bigger pool! And not only that, they’re going to stop breeding more penguins at the aquarium into this life of captivity.

Sending a message of solidarity to our Jewish friends and neighbours

Following a surge in antisemitic violence and attacks, our community chose to look out for our neighbours. This month, we gathered hundreds of lovely, deeply supportive messages to our Jewish friends and neighbours, from 38 Degrees supporters from all walks of life, and splashed these across the Jewish News newspaper. It was a simple, powerful way for our movement to stand up against antisemitism and make sure everyone feels safe, respected, and welcome in their own home. It just goes to show the incredible kindness at the heart of our movement.

Hopeful news in the fight against Palantir

In a massive win for public services, London Mayor Sadiq Khan just blocked a £50m Met Police deal with the controversial tech giant Palantir, saying public money should only go to companies that share London’s values. Whilst we didn’t run this specific campaign, we’ve been at the forefront of a recent surge in public concern over Palantir, with hundreds of thousands of us signing petitions and our polling proving just how worried people are. This result shows that winning is totally possible when we raise our voices.

Ministers are listening on chlorinated chicken

As soon as a Trump trade deal put chlorinated chicken back on the menu, 38 Degrees supporters have been pushing back hard to make sure it never reaches our supermarket shelves. Now our pressure has made a serious impact: we’ve just received a letter from Trade Minister Chris Bryant reassuring us that these imports “will remain banned”. It’s a really promising sign that the Government is listening and knows exactly where our community stands on protecting our health, animal welfare, and British farmers.

If you made it this far, I hope you’re feeling as proud as we are of another incredible month for our fearless movement. At 38 Degrees, it isn’t an office team or a corporate boardroom driving change. It’s you, and hundreds of thousands of other passionate people across the country who refuse to stand by and let bad things happen – and want to build a better, fairer, kinder country.