"We researched the history of Berkeley and Oldbury nuclear power stations and discovered a catalogue of accidents, and that the radiation readings at the perimeter of Berkeley were the highest in the country."

Who are STAND (Severnside Together Against Nuclear Development)?

 

STAND is a non-political, non-violent campaigning group opposed to the building of new nuclear power stations on the Severn Estuary and elsewhere. We aim to raise awareness of the important decisions about nuclear power being made by government on your behalf by information gathering and dissemination.

 

We have recently started a new campaign called STAND against Oldbury to fight a specific proposal to build a huge nuclear installation on the flood plain of the Severn next to the old nuclear power station at Oldbury.

 

STAND was born out of an organisation called SCAR (Severnside Campaign Against Radiation) which was formed in 1984 after a report on raised incidents of childhood leukaemias around Sellafield Nuclear reprocessing plant was highlighted in a television programme.

 

This set alarm bells ringing for a group of us who had heard that there were as many as 5 children with leukaemia living in and around Lydney, Gloucestershire, a town directly opposite Berkeley and Oldbury Nuclear Power Staions across the river Severn.

 

A group formed to find out the facts about the leukaemias and the processes at Berkeley and Oldbury nuclear power stations. We got statistical information on childhood leukaemias from Gloucester Health Authority. We got epidemiological advice from an expert in his field and he confirmed there was a highly significant raised incidence of childhood leukaemia in and around Lydney. We held a public meeting at Lydney town hall. The invited guests from the nuclear industry denied the existence of the cluster of leukaemias. They averaged them out over a huge area and refused to accept the significance of the concentration in Lydney.

 

We researched the history of Berkeley and Oldbury nuclear power stations and discovered a catalogue of accidents, and that the radiation readings at the perimeter of Berkely were the highest in the country.

 

We got information from other groups, who had equally worrying health statistics near to other nuclear power plants

 

We organised the first Low Level Radiation and Health Conference at Gloucester Cathedral, with invited speakers expert in epimediology, children’s cancers, and links between radiation and health. This conference is ongoing – now international, and in to its 22nd year.

 

We raised money and hired a barrister to fight the expansion of Hinkley Nuclear Power station in Somerset. We lost the battle there, but won the war, until now at least - revelations about safety, health and cost effectively put a stop to the building of nuclear power stations in the UK and the USA - none have been built since.

 

The local group, comprised of the same members as in the 80s, plus new blood, is active again because we are concerned at the present alarming plans to expand the nuclear industry in this country and the proliferation of nuclear power around the world

 

We are concerned at the lack of public debate. The more we have learnt about nuclear power the more worried we are about all aspects. We believe this is the most important decision the government is going to make for our future.