Advertise on podcast: 100 Campaigns that Changed the World

In this episode, I’m speaking with Janey Starling about the campaign to stop women from having to give birth in prison. This award-winning campaign began in response to shocking cases and a growing recognition that prison is a dangerous place for pregnancy and birth. There were at least two devastating cases in recent years: the death of Aisha Cleary after she was born at HMP Bronzefield, and a second baby who was stillborn at HMP Styal, in Wilmslow. The campaign helped push through important changes in sentencing guidance, and the recent changes include that the Sentencing Council has now made pregnancy, childbirth, and post-natal care a specific factor in sentencing. That is important because it means judges are meant to think much more carefully about the impact of custody on women and babies. From April 2025, the guidance went further, saying courts should avoid prison for pregnant women unless it cannot be avoided. In other words, pregnancy is no longer treated as a side issue, and it should now be a serious reason to look for alternatives to custody. The conversation extends beyond the policy changes that have happened, and Janey talks us through how the campaign developed, tactics and strategy, and what still needs to be done. Janey is Co-Director at Level Up, which campaigns to end the imprisonment of pregnant women and new mothers in England through public pressure, legal action and solidarity. They work to ensure courts stop sending pregnant women to prison and choose safe, community-based alternatives instead. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we go back to the 1980s, to Greenham Common in Berkshire, where thousands of women built one of the longest‑running peace camps in history. They marched from Cardiff, set up camp outside a US nuclear base, and over nearly 20 years turned a protest site into a global symbol of feminist, anti‑nuclear resistance. From chaining themselves to the gates to “Embrace the Base” human chains of tens of thousands of women, Greenham rewrote what non‑violent direct action could look like. It was noisy, creative, and defiantly women‑led – the biggest women’s protest movement in Britain since the suffragettes. To explore what Greenham meant then, and why it still matters for campaigns today, we welcome writer, performer and activist Rebecca Mordan. Rebecca is the artistic director of feminist theatre company Scary Little Girls and co‑founder of the Greenham Women Everywhere project, which has collected over 200 testimonies from camp veterans. She is the co-author of Out of the Darkness, Greenham 1981-2000. Out now in paperback. ​ In this conversation, we talk about life at the camp, the tactics that made Greenham so powerful, and the 19‑year protest. We also look at what today’s climate and peace, and other campaigners can learn from Greenham’s mix of humour, disruption and community care. Here are some resources Greenham Women Everywhere, interviewing Greenham Women, archiving and sharing their stories and holding events across the UK. The Greenham Effect for Radio 4’s Archive on 4, and a subsequent podcast series on the camp commissioned by Oxford Modern Art. A screening of Carry Greenham Home will transport you back to the early days of Greenham with Beeban Kidron and Amanda Richardson’s fly-on-the-wall masterpiece, shot whilst they lived at Greenham in 1982-83.Women Against the Bomb, Sonia Gonzalez’s prize-winning look at the impact of the Greenham Women, reflected through interviews and footage from women who took action and never looked back.Gentle, Angry Women, Barbara Santi’s coming of age documentary follows a new generation of young female activists as they embark on a journey of discovery, following in the footsteps of over 30,000 women who forty years earlier united in peaceful, liberating protest, the remarkable Greenham Common Women's Peace Movement.Mothers of the Revolution, Briar March’s tale of how a small number of Greenham Women made connections with their counterparts in the peace movement behind the Iron Curtain, travelling to the Soviet Union to advance peace and, eventually, contributing towards the end of the Cold War. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode explores how a local campaign in a small corner of rural England helped reshape climate law far beyond it. The Weald Action Group began as a grassroots response to oil drilling proposals at Horse Hill in Surrey. What followed was a determined, citizen-led challenge to the idea that new fossil fuel projects could be approved without accounting for the climate damage caused when the oil is eventually burned. Against long odds, campaigners took on local authorities, developers and the planning system itself, pushing the question of responsibility for carbon emissions all the way to the UK Supreme Court. At the centre of the campaign was Sarah Finch, a community organiser and one of the claimants in the landmark legal case that now bears her name. Her work with Weald Action Group helped establish a crucial legal principle: that the climate impacts of fossil fuel extraction cannot simply be ignored. Sarah joins us to reflect on how a local campaign grew into a legal precedent, what it took to sustain the fight, and what this case means for future climate campaigns in the UK and beyond. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest is on this episode Rebecca Gowland, the executive director of Patriotic Millionaires UK, which is a network of British millionaires, from multiple industries and backgrounds, from across the UK, to use what they call the ‘voice of wealth’ to build a more just, stable, and inclusive economy, and their aim is the end of extreme wealth. They have a profound concern about the destabilising level of economic and political inequality. And they want to see more economic and political equality. In the U.S., the group was founded in 2010 by Erica Payne under the name "Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength". It was initially formed to advocate for the expiration of the Bush tax cuts during the Obama administration. This is episode is sponsored by 38 Degrees. Go to: www.38degrees.org.uk/100campaigns Sound is by Derek Gray. Music is by Alex Gordon. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guest on this episode is Shaista Aziz, one of The Three Hijabis—a powerful anti-racism campaign that began with a viral tweet in 2021. What started as three British Muslim women watching England play in the Euros soon became a national movement, after racist abuse targeted Black players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka. Their petition to ban racists from football for life gained over a million signatures in just 48 hours, forced government action, and sparked a global conversation about inclusion in the sport. With 12 million petition views and a lasting impact on football culture, their story is a testament to how activism can challenge hate and reclaim spaces for everyone. Amnesty crisis response campaigner, working on gaza.  Sound is by Derek Gray. Joe Townsend was the producer. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guest on this episode is Dawn Astle. Dawn is the daughter of Jeff Astle, who played football for West Bromwich Albion in the 60’s and 70’s. At the age of 55, Jeff was diagnosed with dementia, and he died four years later. The pathologist who officiated Jeff’s death said his brain looked like the brain of a boxer. Dawn has been campaigning since then for a change in the rules about heading in football. She has also helped win significant victories, notably with a ban coming into place in youth football this year and next year. But there is a lot more to do. Sound is by Derek Gray.   Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this opening episode of Season 3 of 100 Campaigns that Changed the World, I speak with Duncan Green – one of the most respected thinkers and practitioners in global development and social change. Duncan is Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam GB, Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics, and author of the widely read blog From Poverty to Power. His influential book How Change Happens has shaped how campaigners and policy-makers think about power, systems, and transformation. Drawing on decades of experience in international advocacy, Duncan reflects on what it really takes to create lasting change – and what campaigners today can learn from the past. Sounds is by Derek Gray. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An expert panel of seasoned campaigners who have dealt with disinformation and falsehoods, our first live panel event sheds light on how campaigners can navigate the issues and counter conspiracy theories, lies and half-truths. The panel consisted of Dr Charles Kriel, who is co-Founder of Metrotone Media, co-Director of the documentary People You May Know, which follows his breakthrough Cambridge Analytica investigation while serving as Special Advisor to the UK parliament Select Committee on Disinformation and Fake News.A list of other target panellists is available on request. Tessa Kahn, who is the Director of Uplift UK, which supports efforts to create a rapid and fair transition away from oil and gas production in the UK. Mythbusting and debunking the industry’s increasing tendency towards misinformation has become a stock-in-trade for Tessa and her team. Chitra Karve, who is Chair of Action for Southern Africa was an Anti-Apartheid Movement staff member from 1986 to 1989. She helped organise the 1988 Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70 campaign.Nathan Oswin, who leads the Trade Union Congress's involvement in the Covid Public Inquiry and was previously Campaigns Director of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign. Through these roles, he has dealt with large-scale and sometimes harmful types of disinformation and mistruths The event was sponsored by 38 Degrees and University of Westminster Media and Communications School and their MA in Media, Campaigning and Social Change  https://www.westminster.ac.uk/media-and-communication-courses/2026-27/september/full-time/media-campaigning-and-social-change-ma. It was also supported by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation and the Advocacy Hub. Music is by Alex Gordon. Sound is by Derek Gray and Solomon Collins. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kush Kanodia is a multi-award-winning campaigner on disability rights and is Sheila Mackechnie Foundation’s Campaigner of the year. His own disability has fuelled his lifelong commitment to social justice. He shifted from a successful investment banking career to focus on disability rights. In this episode, we discuss three successful disability rights campaigns which he has played a leading role in. One of these targeted the Premier League and the number of wheelchair-accessible spaces in stadiums which didn’t accurately reflect the needs of disabled fans, a second was on parking charges for disabled people at NHS hospitals and a third was on the London Ultra Low Emissions Zone.  Sound is by Derek Gray and Solomon Collins. find him at https://kushkanodia.com/ Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Deutsche Wohnen & Co. Enteignen movement wants the city of Berlin to transfer real estate into public ownership, expropriating the city’s large corporate landlords: those who have more than 3,000 units (an estimated 11% of the city’s housing stock). Launched in 2018 but dating back to 2010, the initiative focused on increasing rents and poor-quality housing in a city where 85% of people live in rented accommodation. Campaigners uncovered a mechanism under the constitution to hold referenda. 7% of those eligible to vote were needed to sign a petition and some 171,000 signatures were collected. A referendum was held in 2021, with the campaign winning 59.1% of the vote, gaining over a million votes. Campaigners are now planning a new, binding referendum. One prominent activist within the movement is Polish-born Joanna Kusiak, who the guest in this episode. Joanna lives in Berlin and works at the University of Cambridge where her work focuses on urban land, housing crises, and the progressive potential of law. In 2021 she was one of the spokespeople of Deutsche Wohnen & Co. enteignen. Joanna describes both the campaign and some of the tactics and strategies it employed, with the legal-constitutional strategy at the heart of the effort.  Sound is by Derek Gray and Solomon Collins. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Corn Laws were a series of trade restrictions and tariffs on imported grain (wheat, oats, barley and rye – not corn) that were in effect in the UK from 1815 to 1846. The Passed by Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in response to a strained post-war economy, they were intended to favour domestic agriculture by making it more difficult to import grain. Campaigning on the laws focused on the Manchester-based Anti-Corn Law League. The goal of the League was the ‘immediate and total abolition’ of the Corn Laws, the wording deliberately echoing the successful anti-slavery agitations, but the broader aim was to promote global free trade. Free traders used abstract reasoning to argue that their policy was in the national interest. They also used masive public petitions. One further outcome of the campaign was the founding of The Economist magazine. Our guest in this episode is Dr Henry Miller, Vice Chancellor's Fellow, Northumbria University. He is an academic historian researching and teaching on modern Britain and is an expert on the Corn Laws and the Anti-Corn Law League. Henry offers some interesting and surprising observations and lessons for current campaigners from the League's operations nearly 200 years ago. Sound is by Derek Gray and Solomon Collins. Image courtesy of East Lothian Museums / Creative Commons.Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guest on this episode is Laura Coryton, a British campaigner, feminist activist and author who started the "Stop taxing periods, period" campaign in 2014, while she was still a student. The campaign sought to abolish the 'tampon tax' in the United Kingdom by making menstrual products exempt from VAT. The campaign and petition on Change.org successfully pushed the UK Parliament into establishing the Tampon Tax Fund in 2016, through which almost £100m was donated to female-focused charities. Her campaign finally succeeded in 2021, when the tax on all period products was axed. Loads of great insights from a campaigner who started from scratch and changed something important through determination mixed with strategic direction. Sound is by Derek Gray and Solomon Collins. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lynx began their anti-fur campaign back in the mid 1980’s. By using innovative advertising and media campaigns such as the famous David Bailey ‘Dumb Animals’ poster and cinema commercials, consumer attitudes towards the wearing of fur in the UK changed dramatically. Most department stores used to have fur salons and fur could be found almost everywhere on the high street. More and more department and high street stores started to adopt ‘fur free’ policies such as the Fur Free Retailer programme and the wearing of fur is no longer seen as acceptable. Partly thanks to the campaign, fur farming has been banned in England and Wales since 2000 and in Scotland and Northern Ireland since 2002 In this episode we speak with Lynx co-founder Lynne Kentish, who recalls the campaign, what made it successful and also how it was brought down by the industry that it helped bring to an end. Sound is by Derek Gry and Solomon Collins. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a really fascinating example of litigation-led campaigning, a group of senior women in Switzerland argue that - because they suffer more from frequent and intense heatwaves - Switzerland must do its bit to keep global heating below 1.5ºC. KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz (Senior Women for Climate Protection) is a group of elderly women in Switzerland, initially formed by a group of 40 in 2016, but now numbering more than 2,500. After exhausting all national options, they took their case to the European Court of Human Rights. The Court’s decision this April (2024), has set a crucial legal precedent that establishes States’ human rights climate change obligations.. The interview is with KlimaSeniorinnen's Elisabeth Stern, a retired ethnologist who worked at the Pestalozzi Foundation Children’s Village for intercultural education. She taught ethnology at the University of Zurich, worked as a research associate at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare and as a Senior Lecturer for intercultural management competence at the University of St. Gallen. She was the co-director of an environmental company for the financing of environmental projects. Sound is by Derek Gray and Solomon Collins. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stop Funding Hate is a pressure group which asks companies to stop advertising in, and therefore stop providing funds for, certain British newspapers that it argues use "fear and division to sell more papers". It was launched in August 2016, by a group of people who came together online to highlight how some British newspapers were using hate and division to drive sales. This was a time of unprecedented amounts of negative headlines about migrants and refugees in newspapers: particulary the Sun, Daily Mail and the Express.   The guest in this episode is Richard Wilson who is the Director and co-founder of Stop Funding Hate. He previously worked for Amnesty International UK and the Child Poverty Action Group, and has been involved in human rights campaigning since 2001. Richard is the author of two books – Titanic Express (2006) and Don’t Get Fooled Again (2008). Richards highlights some important lessons about what the campaign has done, its effectiveness, what success looks like and also about the campaigns longer term plans. Sound is by Derek Gray and Solomon Collins. Sign up or leave comments at https://www.100campaigns.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.