24 March, 2016
Shaping the future of the capital starts with Londoners Giving a Fudge… and that’s why we’re excited to announce the honorary renaming of one of our most iconic flavours – Chocolate Fudge Brownie. For a limited time only we'll be scooping up voter registrations and those who come along to find out more can grab a FREE scoop of Give a Fudge!
Why Have We Renamed This Euphoric Flavour?
At Ben & Jerry’s, we believe that democracy only works when it works for everyone… which is why we’ve teamed up with civil rights campaign group, HOPE not hate, to launch our latest campaign – Don’t Get Frozen Out. Did you know that a chunky proportion of Londoners (1 in 5 to be exact!) aren't registered to vote? We're on a drive to make sure that no one is frozen out of the democratic process, so will be taking to the streets of London to scoop up voter registrations and dish out free scoops of Give A Fudge, all before the registration deadline – Monday 18th April.
A Little Bit More About Our Campaign…
Don’t Get Frozen Out aims to drive voter registration in London at a time when the capital’s democratic process is failing to connect with its residents, in particular young Londoners, 4 in 10 of whom say that being ‘confused about the process of registering to vote’ is a key barrier to participating in democracy. And with 40% also believing ‘a lack of communication about the need of registering to vote’ to be a problem, it’s never been more important to take to the streets to sign Londoner’s up!
Where Can I Grab a Scoop?
We will be visiting those boroughs most affected by the voter registration changes implemented in December 2015, which led to 329,000 Londoners falling off the electoral register! And, based on research from our partners, HOPE not hate, we can reveal that in Hackney alone, a whopping 14% of residents (that’s 27,500 people!) have since dropped off the electoral register. Meanwhile in Lambeth, 11% of residents dropped off the register, and in Waltham Forest, that figure was 7.5%!
We are looking forward to seeing a herd of ice cream (and democracy!) lovers at our tour. As well as visiting numerous colleges and universities across the capital, you can also come and say hello at any of the following locations:
- Hackney Town Hall / Friday 1st April, 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm
- Windrush Square, Brixton / Saturday 2nd April, 12pm-2pm
- Clapton Park Estate, Pedro Youth Club, Hackney / Friday 8th April, 2pm-4pm
- Noel Park Estate, South Tottenham / Saturday 9th April, 2pm-4pm
What If I Can't Make the Tour?
If you can’t make the tour, don’t despair! With the help of a Don’t Get Frozen Out Democracy Pack (complete with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream vouchers, posters and pledge cards), you can host your own voter registration drive in your community!
Democracy only works when it works for everyone and together we can help shape the future of London! Register to vote today and make sure your voice is counted this May – take action HERE!