Protesters staged a four-hour demonstration outside a church hall which
was being used for tests on shampoos.
They claimed it was wrong to let a church hall be used by Stock Life
Science Research Centre because it did some of its tests on animals.
The protesters yesterday were all members of Southend and South East
Essex branch of Animal Aid, dedicated to fighting experiments on animals
for scientific and medical research.
The 20-strong group of demonstrators outside St.Martin's Hall in
Basildon, handed out leaflets about experiments on animals and gathered
names for a petition.
Spokesman Mr. Richard Mander, of Little Thorpe, Thorpe Bay, Southend
organiser for Animal Aid, said: "We are asking the vicar of St. Martin's
to reconsider the use of a church hall by an organisation which
experiments on animals."
Life Science Research had admitted using rabbits and dogs for
experiments at Stock.
Mr Mander said some of the people taking part in the shampoo tests in
Basildon did not know what Life Science Research did.
"When we explained about tests on animals, they decided not to go in
for the final test," he said.
A spokesman for Life Science Research said all experiments on animals
at Stock were done under government controls.
The Rev Lionel Webber, vicar of St. Martin's, said: "I have sympathy
with the demonstrators, but my knowledge of reputable firms - and I put
Life Science Research in that category - is that suffering is kept to a
minimum."
Basildon Evening Echo, November 20th, 1979.
