Peak District: ‘Vote for Someone’ campaign launched

Rosie Ford, of Litton, has launched the ‘Vote for Someone’ campaign in a bid to get apathetic Peak District folk to take advantage of their democratic privileges.

She said: “I read in the paper that 25 million people who were qualified to vote at the last election didn’t vote - it’s the worst it’s been since the 1940s.”

Shocked at this figure, Rosie decided to create badges saying ‘Vote for Someone’, which are now on sale in the community-run village shop in Litton, where she volunteers, at a cost of 30 pence each, with all proceeds going towards the shop.

She also contacted former Derbyshire poet laureate Matt Black, who pledged his support to her cause.

“He has written a poem that’s three pages long, which he’s learned off by heart,” Rosie said.

“There’s a wonderful line in it that sums up the issue - ‘we should know by now what democracy is not, but it’s still the best idea anybody has got’.”

Matt will be reading out the poem outside the village shop at 3pm on Thursday, April 23, with the hope of inspiring anyone who hears him to vote.

Rosie said that people such as comedian Russell Brand, who publicly denounced voting saying he believed is created a ‘disillusioned under class’, are ‘totally irresponsible’.

“We’ve got this opportunity to say what we believe in and what we want,” she continued.

“If we hadn’t got it we would be demonstrating.”

Rosie explained that she had not launched the campaign to support a particular party, but simply to get people involved in the democratic process.

“It’s just doing a little thing, but I just had to do it,” she said.