This year the theme of the Minehead Christmas Tree Festival was 'messages and messengers'. So this fitted well with Amnesty's Write for Rights Campaign to send messages of hope to individual prisoners of conscience and their families. Decorations on the tree included ribbons with phrases such as 'human rights matter' and 'give hope', and our members Ann and Judith had made lovely decorative envelopes out of red and white felt to hang on the tree. Messages poking out of the envelopes said things like: 'admiring your stand' and 'may you get justice'.

Hundreds of people, including school children, visited the Festival. So hopefully our beautifully decorated tree has helped to spread the word about our work for people who have been unjustly harassed, threatened, tortured and imprisoned for peacefully expressing their views and beliefs, and/or for trying to protect the human rights of others.