March for A Future That Works – 20th October 2012
Briefing for RCN members
The route and RCN meeting point
The march starts on Victoria Embankment (between Hungerford and
Blackfriars Bridges) and ends in Hyde Park. Marchers will begin gathering
before 11am and the intention is that the march will commence at 12pm. It is
estimated the march will take at least one and a half hours to get to Hyde
Park, but it should be anticipated that it may well take some time for the
march to ‘move off’.
The RCN has a designated assembly point at the start of the march running
along the Victoria Embankment. The RCN assembly point will be on Victoria
Embankment between Temple Station and Waterloo Bridge. The RCN’s
assembly point will be clearly marked with our sail flags and RCN branding.
The exact location of this point is on the map at the back of this briefing.
This area will be get very busy, very early on so we are asking any
members to try to get to this point before 11am if possible.
We want you to be as safe as possible and if the RCN meeting point is too
busy we would prefer you find a position at the rear of the march. The
stewards on the day will be able to help you find a safe place to join.
Travelling to the march
Those travelling to London for the march
If you are travelling in from outside of London by coach there is very good
chance that you might not be able to get to the RCN meeting point before the
march moves off or the Embankment may be too busy for you to reach the
Assembly area. If this is the case we advise you head to the rear of the march
and find a safe place to join.
Those on coaches will be dropped at coach parks at points just outside
central London and asked to take public transport. Your travel steward will
have full details of this for you. RCN members are responsible for paying for
their transportation and related costs to and from the initial coach pick-up
points in your region. However, the RCN will reimburse you for public
transport costs incurred to and from the coach drop-off point in London.
Special claim forms will be made available to you by your RCN travel steward,
on the coach.
London Underground
We are aware that several tube stations and lines will be severely disrupted
on 20 October, depending on congestion, some tube stations may be
temporarily closed. Please make a note of the following details when planning
your journey:
Tube closures
Tube line
Circle
Service suspended
District
Closed from Earl’s Court to Edgware
Road and Barking to Upminster
Temple Station will be closed
Jubilee
Closed from West Hampstead to
Stanmore
Wembley Park Station will be closed
Metropolitan
Closed from Harrow-on-the-Hill to
Aldgate
Northern
Closed from Tooting Broadway to
Morden
Victoria
Closed from Highbury & Islington to
Brixton
The best stations to therefore use are, Blackfriars, Southwark, St Pauls,
Waterloo, Embankment and Charing Cross stations.
Victoria Embankment will soon fill at the front, and it is likely that people who
arrive at Embankment or other stations may be diverted further back towards
the Blackfriars end of Embankment.
Issues may develop on the day so listen out for announcements and if
possible follow Twitter for live updates.
Updates for marchers
On the day we the TUC will use Twitter @futurethatworks and
communications via stewards to provide updates.
Hyde Park
The TUC is also holding a rally in the park from 1.30pm to approximately
4.00pm with speeches, music, videos along with refreshment facilities and
extra toilets. Unions have not been given a formal space to assemble but we
hope to have our RCN flags visible for members to use as a reference point.
The RCN will have a table in Hyde Park which will simply be used as a
meeting point and offer the opportunity to return any flags and sail banners.
We ask that RCN members enjoy the rally, but move on in a timely manner to
allow for others arriving later to also enjoy the day.
Getting home
There are a number of tube stations near to Hyde Park and there will be
plenty of stewards around to point you in the right direction. There is a chance
that at busy periods the tube stations nearest the Park may close. If this does
happen you will be directed to the nearest open tube station.
For those travelling to the march on coaches it is critical that you are aware of
your routes back to the coach, where it is parked, what time it is leaving and
the contact details of your travel stewards. Please make sure you have all
these details before you depart the coach in the morning.
Stewarding
The TUC and the RCN are organising route stewards who will ensure that that
the march passes safely and to help marchers with any questions they may
have. The RCN has plenty of stewards on hand who will be able to help with
any issues you have.
If you are travelling down by coach there will be a steward on hand who will
be fully briefed and will be able to guide you throughout the day. Make sure
you get their mobile number when you are travelling down and listen to their
briefing.
Toilets
There will be no additional toilets provided on the route until Hyde Park.
However businesses along the route have been encouraged to stay open and
there are public toilets on the Embankment and in Trafalgar Square along the
route.
Preparing for the march
Please make sure you bring a packed lunch! Although there will be limited
food stalls in Hyde Park there will few opportunities to buy food and drink
along the route. Due to the anticipated size of the march there is a good
chance you will be on the route for several hours and waiting for some time at
the start so make sure you have water and something to eat.
We’d recommend you dress prepared for a long day, definitely with
comfortable shoes. The march route is nearly three miles long – and if it has
been raining at all Hyde Park can get very muddy with that many people – so
wear flat shoes, trainers or boots. Also remember that October weather can
be unpredictable, and you might need warmer clothes, or even a brolly, on the
day.
Access and disability
The TUC have made arrangements to make the march as accessible as is
practical. The sheer size of the event does present real challenges, not least
that large areas of central London are likely to be closed to vehicles or
completely congested for most of the day. However if you need further
information please contact the person at the bottom of this briefing or visit
http://afuturethatworks.org/march-logistics/accessibility/
Safety
The event will be very well stewarded and policed and is intended to be a fun,
family day designed to show a united front against cuts to the public sector.
The best way to ensure this is to march in a timely manner, follow the
directions of the stewards and police and leave Hyde Park in good time to get
home. However, in the event of an incident we ask that RCN members follow
the advice of the stewards and the police. We also expect all RCN members
and staff to act in a responsible, respectful manner and represent the union in
a positive way.
For more information contact Will Hardy, RCN Parliamentary Officer on:
0207 647 3628 – 07500 924 180 – will.hardy@rcn.org.uk