Stephen Fry, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi would be the guests of honour and chocolate Hobnobs the biscuit of choice at people’s ‘Dream tea party’, according to a new online survey to mark the launch of AMNESTEA, Amnesty International’s new fundraising tea parties.

In a survey of Amnesty’s online followers across Twitter, Facebook and blogs, popular choices also included Barack Obama, Jesus Christ, comedian David Mitchell, Winston Churchill and the Dalai Lama. Custard Creams and retro Party Rings were other popular biscuit choices, though many respondents said they would bake their own for such illustrious guests. Party invites to the ‘Dream tea party’ would also go to Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou and Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to Amnesty International’s poll.

All over the country, on and around 10 December (Human Rights Day), people will be brewing up, baking cakes and inviting their friends over for an AMNESTEA party. Some people are going a step further and hosting bigger public tea parties: at school, in the office, at the village hall or even a ‘virtual’ tea-party online. But the aim is the same: having a great time while raising money for Amnesty’s work to protect human rights around the world.

To mark Human Rights Day, a pop-up tea shop at Amnesty’s Human Rights Action Centre in Shoreditch, London will be serving tea, mulled wine and mince pies from 5-8pm on 10 December.

Amnesty International UK Community Fundraising Manager Corinne Tarbet said:

“AMNESTEA follows a new trend for more traditional community events like garden parties, village fetes and tea parties. And with the credit crunch biting us all, the idea of having tea with friends instead of hosting an expensive dinner party is even more appealing.

“Taking part in AMNESTEA – whether it’s holding your own event or just popping along to someone else’s tea party - will help raise vital funds for Amnesty’s human rights work.

“We’re hoping that hundreds of people will pop the kettle on and dust off their doilies for us in the coming weeks.”

Since 1961, Amnesty International has worked with millions of people to defend human rights worldwide. Amnesty is currently campaigning to protect individual victims of human rights abuse; to Women's rights's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights; to end torture and the death penalty and to demand dignity for the world’s poorest people whose basic rights are denied.

More information at www.amnesty.org.uk/tea .