Find out if any of your friends or family could spare an hour or two to help. Once you have a rough idea of how many people will be involved, you can work out how many leaflets you think you'll be able to distribute (or ask us for advice). Think of a good location, with lots of passers-by, where you will be able to stand without causing an obstruction. Shopping centres are private property so it's not a good idea to try to leaflet in those, but high streets and town centres are public highways. There shouldn't be a problem if you want to stand outside a sports shop or in a town square, for example.

One person leafletting can easily give out a hundred leaflets in an hour. Think of all those shoppers who might not have known about the kangaroo killing and decide to boycott Adidas - all down to you!

Two people can set up a small table with a poster on the front and petitions and postcards for shoppers to sign. You can put out leaflets for people to take at their leisure and just be on hand to have a chat about animal issues. You'd be surprised how many people are completely unaware of the terrible things that are done to animals and sometimes all it takes is a friendly person talking to them to spur them into action!

A small group of people can hold up posters, hand out leaflets, collect signatures on petitions and talk to the public. What we call a 'demo' or 'protest' don't have to be a huge gathering, it's simply a group of like-minded people standing up for what they believe in and giving other people the opportunity to learn about issues they might otherwise not get to hear about.

If you are holding a stall, you aren't allowed to ask for donations unless you have a licence from the local council. But if people offer you money voluntarily, you can certainly take it!

Local TV, newspapers and radio are often interested in residents doing things in their area. We can send you a press release to send out and a list of the media outlets that cover your town. If you're happy to talk to the press, that's fantastic, but if you're not, then we're more than happy to deal with them on your behalf.

If you have any questions, need more info or would like to discuss other ways in which you could help, please feel free to call the Viva! Campaigns Team at any time. Ring us on 0117 9441000 and speak to Alistair or Claudia or email us at info@viva.org.uk