About the Group

As one of the speakers at the inaugural meeting, we were privileged to have Bruce Kent, the veteran human rights campaigner and former general secretary of CND. To quote him:

“Each of us is our brother’s keeper by engaging in the struggle for human rights wherever they are under attack, you in Ely, will join the long list of heroes in the past, often little known, who have done the same. The name Amnesty today means hope to many worldwide who thought themselves abandoned.”

So we are preparing ourselves to be heroes! There is still plenty of room for new people with energy, enthusiasm and innovative ideas to be involved. We welcome people of faith and no faith, and of any nationality, all are welcome!

Join us at our regular meetings or at one of our events.

If you care about human rights, and would like to campaign with like-minded people around Ely, then just turn up on any meeting night – you will be made very welcome. Even if you are not ready to join our group, you can join our ‘interested parties’ list to receive details of our activities by e-mail: Go to mailing list form on Contact page

We’re all busy people, with many calls on our time and energy resources. However we would like to feel we can show a practical concern for human rights abuses and violations. We would like to make a difference. Do join us whatever you feel your commitment may be.

For further information please email Barbara and Sally at info@amnestyely.org.uk


Group Members

Why I joined….

We asked our group members about what made them join Amnesty and become involved in the local group and what Amnesty means to them.

I joined Amnesty International shortly after moving to the UK and so have been a member for over 25 years, but with very little active involvement, aside from sending money from time to time and writing occasional letters. Joining a local group seemed a good way of deepening that involvement and perhaps helping to make a small difference in the fight against the manifold injustices in human societies around the world.

Sally MacEachern

I have supported Amnesty International on a monthly basis financially for many years, and I was pleased to find out there was an Ely group I could join.

Linda Homan

I believe that the promotion and maintenance of human rights at home and abroad is the foundation of a good society. I wanted to belong to an organisation dedicated to this noble cause.

Tessa Harding

I’ve been a member of Amnesty since my teens, but rarely managed any active involvement as I was frequently travelling. Upon settling down, I was delighted to discover there was a local Amnesty Group which allows me to meet like-minded people and take a more active involvement. It’s an amazing feeling when you hear good news about someone that you have campaigned for and I take great pride in knowing that even the smallest actions may make a huge difference to someone somewhere.

Felicity Appu

It’s so long ago I can hardly remember exactly what prompted me to join Amnesty. I think it was an article in a newspaper about some war atrocity. I am a member because I just cannot believe what I know to be true about man’s inhumanity to man (to use a cliché) and think that although it might just seem insignificant, we should try to do what we can.

Shelagh Monteith

I joined Amnesty International over 30 years ago after reading an Amnesty advertisement or article about execution by electric chair in the United States of America. This horrified me so much I felt I had to be involved in campaigning against the death penalty and other human rights abuses.

Barbara Grafton