An essential part of a national march are the supporters who organise coaches from around the country. So if you are thinking of doing this, thank you! Even if you live in a small town, there may be options you can look into
– why not book a minibus?
 If the idea of booking a coach seems a bit daunting, remember that you don’t have to go it alone. Which local groups can you get on board?
 Some groups may easily spring to mind when you think about climate change (local
Friends of the Earth, Transition Town, Green Party…) But think more widely – with a wide range of national organisations signed up to support the march, could you talk to the WI or local churches?
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What about linking up with a local university? If a coach is a joint venture between university and town, student union funding may be available to help subsidise the coach. NUS are supporting the march, as is the People and Planet network.
Contact your local union branches. If you’re not sure what the ‘jobs’ part of the march title means, it refers to climate jobs! Many trade unions have signed up to support the One Million Climate Jobs campaign ( www.campaigncc.org/greenjobs ).
These include PCS, Unite, FBU, CWU, UCU, TSSA, and the Bakers Food and
Allied Workers Union. Others, for example Unison, have agreed to support the climate change mobilisation on 29 November, and the TUC have also passed a motion to support it.
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To get in touch with local union branches, one way is to contact the head office, or the regional office, e.g.: www.unison.org.uk/regions/ www.unitetheunion.org/howwe-help/listofregions/ http://www.fbu.org.uk/local-contacts/ For PCS, contact green@pcs.org.uk There may also be a local Trades Union Council you could approach
– list on the TUC website: http://bit.ly/1Kx3xcT
To get formal support – for example contributing funds to subsidise coach places – a motion needs to be passed in a branch meeting. There is a template motion here: http://bit.ly/1NPyujq which can be amended as appropriate.
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Take a best guess at how many places you might fill, then ask around a few coach companies (see if your allies have any recommendations). What are the options for coach size, are there any other variables, e.g. onboard toilets?
If you’re not sure how many tickets you’ll sell, you could find out if it is possible to book a smaller coach and upgrade nearer the time.
Who will pay the deposit? Can it be split between several groups?

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Set ticket prices so you can cover your costs and make sure payment is secured before giving out tickets!
You may be in the lucky position of having secured funding that will enable you to subsidise places on the coach
– this could be done by reducing all ticket prices evenly or by having two prices, waged and unwaged.
Make sure people have either a physical ticket or an email to print out, which include a record of the date and departure time for the bus, as well a contact number to use on the day.
When you sell tickets, collect contact details – email address and preferably mobile number (what if someone has not returned to the coach by the time you are due to leave London…?) If you are picking up at more than one spot (e.g. town centre and university campus), people should tell you which one they will be waiting at in the morning.
Will you sell paper tickets, online tickets, or both?
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Paper tickets can be taken to events
– chat to people, get them enthusiastic, and then make that sale!
The more people you get to do this, the easier for people to get tickets, but don’t lose track of how many have been sold or the information collected!
 Will any local shops or cafes sell tickets for you? This makes it easier for people to get hold of them.
 If you can get a student to sell tickets on campus that can be a big help.
Having this facility can help you sell more tickets, and works really well if you are promoting your coach through your website or social media.
 Setting up a page on the EventBrite website www.eventbrite.com
is an easy and convenient way of managing ticket sales. They do charge fees, however. For example, when someone pays £20, about £1.85 in total is taken as fees, or for £8 about £1 fees. (Fees are slightly lower if you can do it through a registered charity).
Note also that you receive payment from EventBrite in one lump sum after the date of the event.
 Another possibility, but with more administration required, is to organise sales by email - both requests for payment and tickets being sent by email. Setting up a
‘business account’ with PayPal allows you to email invoices out which people can click on and pay you (by credit or debit card or from their PayPal account) without sharing any of your financial information. If someone pays £8 for a ticket, PayPal keep about 50p in fees. (To be exact, they charge 3.4% of the ticket cost + 20p.
Again, charities get charged a lower rate – 1.4% + 20p).
 Depending on how many weeks remain until the march and the capacity of the various groups involved, a fantastic way of getting people excited is by organising a public meeting. This can be as ambitious (a wide platform of local and national speakers) or simple (a film screening followed by a brief discussion) as you like. Get

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 everyone there to think about what they can do themselves and collect emails!
Contact info@campaigncc.org
, or any of the other national organisations involved with the march, for help and advice.
Flyers and posters for the march are available for free from Friends of the Earth
– order here: http://bit.ly/1V6nGBI You can print off sticky labels with the essential local information.
Think positively and don't limit yourself to groups you always work with. Find new and innovative ways of spreading the word. Get groups to make and bring their own banner. Students are important, so get the word out around colleges and universities, but don't forget everyone else.
Churches often have a monthly newsletter of sorts
– think ahead to get an article.
They often have a noticeboard, but want posters which have some specific relevance to them as Christians, so getting someone to do a special poster for churches might make all the difference.
Social media promotion is important. Make sure you include a link in there – what page do you want to send people to? A page on your website, the EventBrite page, a Facebook event?
Contact info@campaigncc.org
to make sure that your coach is featured on the march website www.climatejusticejobs.org
and shared in other national information about the march
 Do you want to make a big banner for your group to take?
Contact your local paper / local radio station to let them know that you’re going on the protest and why. D ecide who’s going to be responsible for taking some great pictures of your group on the march.
1. Ring the company to check the coach is correct size and ensure pick-up places are agreed. Don't just assume!
2. Collect cash and spare tickets from sellers.
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3. Collect together:
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A typed up list of who’s coming and their mobile numbers
A flier with the location at which the coach will wait at the end, and a mobile number for those who (inevitably) get lost to come and find you.
An A4 sign to identify your coach, or coaches (e.g. “York 1”, “York 2” in large type!) and blue-tack or such like to affix to windscreen of coach.
Demo posters or placards for the windows to spread the message!
Leaflets and info-sheets to hand out; people value on-board reading.
A good, positive DVD or video if you know the coach will play it