Justice for the Stoddarts!

Together we have managed to get justice for the Stoddart family, who were being forced off the farm they’ve run for more than 20 years with very little compensation.

20,000 of us signed a petition started by Michelle Wood, a 38 Degrees member and friend of the Stoddarts. Together, we put pressure on MSPs to help find a solution, we demonstrated outside the Scottish Parliament and got the story in the national news.

Thanks to all the public pressure a mediated agreement has been reached, including allowing the family to stay on the farm a bit longer. This shows that when we stand up together, we can’t be ignored, and our actions have a real impact.

Andrew Stoddart said: “The support from 38 Degrees members has been massive. The number of people who have spoken for us has been utterly humbling. It’s hard to express how we feel about it.”

Michelle, who started the petition, said: “Thanks to everyone who signed the petition. It made a real difference, as did the efforts of the 38 Degrees staff, Lesley Riddoch, Jen Stout and the Our Land campaign.

“If you’re ever in doubt as to whether you could make a difference, a single person can make a petition on 38 Degrees and change things! The petition I started went viral. I’d encourage anyone who wants to campaign on an issue that’s important to them to start a petition now.”