Michael Randle - Peace activist with Alzheimer's
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The ‘Peace family’ needs re-homing! Can you help?
Please make a small donation and spread the word to help raise the funds needed to enable Michael Randle - legendary campaigner, activist, and hero of the peace movement, now aged 90 and with Alzheimer’s - to move to Cornwall to be cared for by his loved ones.
Your generous gift will help Michael reach the £132,000 needed to make up the shortfall in selling his current home in Yorkshire, and buying a more suitable house in Cornwall where he can be supported by his remaining family.
The new house in Cornwall will also provide a home for Michael’s 13-year-old granddaughter, Elah, who has multiple disabilities and high dependency needs.
Find out how you can help below. But first, read more about Michael and why he deserves your support!
Who is Michael Randle?
Michael Joseph Randle is a legend of British left-wing political activism and ‘people power’. Born in 1933 and growing up in the shadow of two world wars, Michael dedicated his life to advancing the cause of peace and justice in British and global politics.
Having devoted his life to advancing the cause for human rights, Michael organised now-legendary protests against the use of nuclear weapons and served time in prison for his political activism. Michael is a true hero and an inspiration to us all.
A veteran pacifist and political campaigner, Michael was one of the key founders of the peace movement in the UK in the 1950s. He helped pioneer a new form of direct action against nuclear war based on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Michael played a role in founding the ‘Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War’ and was involved with the nascent CND through his membership of DAC and its successor, the Committee of 100. This grass-roots organisation worked closely with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament which emerged at the same time.
Michael was on the organising committee for the first Aldermaston March in Easter 1958. He still has a copy of the first leaflet issued by the Committee inviting people to join the march.
One of Michael’s earliest acts of peaceful protest was an attempt to cross the Austrian border to Hungary in 1956. Michael travelled on foot, carrying a large protest banner, to support the Hungarians’ passive resistance to the Soviet occupation.
Please read on to learn more about Michael and the role he has played in the peace movement, and to understand why he now needs your support.
Michael’s role in the global movement for peace
Michael recounts the day when, as a 12-year-old boy, his father told him about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The news terrified him but the fear turned into determination. As an adult, Michael registered as a Conscientious Objector to military service in 1951. He went on to dedicate his life to the peace movement.
Michael was chairman of the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (the ‘DAC’) from 1958 to 1961, Based in the London HQ of Peace News, the DAC organised mass sit-downs against nuclear weapons in city centres and military bases. It was the first organisation to adopt the logo that went on to be used by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – the world-famous 'CND symbol'.
Michael was present in the DAC office when Gerald Holtom shared his initial sketches of the now-famous peace symbol. Michael is pictured below at the recent launch of the new Peace Museum where the original sketches are now displayed. Michael says, ‘The design was adopted on the spot!’
Through a concerted leafleting campaign, Michael and his fellow DAC activists recruited people to join the now legendary Aldermaston March on Easter 1958. The march was endorsed by CND, and the initial rally in Trafalgar Square was addressed by the chair of CND, Canon John Collins, along with Michael Foot MP - a member of its Executive.
Michael participated in protests against the French government’s testing of atomic bombs in the Algerian Sahara, spending several months in Ghana and helping organise a pan-African peace conference which took place in Accra in 1960.
In 1960, Michael became Secretary of the Committee of 100, founded by Bertrand Russell and the Rev Michael Scott. The Committee was closely aligned to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Michael also served as a council and executive member of ‘War Resisters’ International’ from 1960 to 1987.
Michael worked hard to connect peace activists in the UK and the USA through the Non-Violent Resistance Group and ‘Operation Gandhi’. This provided a forum for activists on both sides of the pond to discuss ideas and tactics. Participants included Bill Sutherland and Bayard Rustin, legends of the African American civil rights movement. Bayard was a key advisor to Martin Luther King Jr and coordinated the march on Washington in 1963 at which Martin Luther King Jr made his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
Michael was imprisoned twice for his political activism.
In 1962, Michael – along with five other members of the Committee of 100 – was sentenced to 18 months in prison for organising non-violent direct action at a US Air Force base in Essex. His first son, Sean, was born while he was serving that sentence.
In 1967, he was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for participating in a peaceful occupation of the Greek Embassy in London following a military coup earlier that year.
During his time in prison in 1962 and 1963, Michael became friends with George Blake, the British MI6 agent who had been sentenced to 42 years for passing information to the Soviet Union. Michael’s outrage at the unreasonable and unjust length of Blake’s sentence led him and two others, Pat Pottle and Sean Bourke, to help Blake escape from Wormwood Scrubs in October 1966. However, Michael was in no way supportive of the Soviet or British spying regime.
Learn more about Michael Randle
Wikipedia entry about Michael: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Randle
Photos of Michael in action (Getty Images):
Photos of Michael in action (Alamy image library):
Commonweal interview with Michael:
https://www.commonwealnonviolence.org/blog/7-decades-of-nonviolence-activism-introducing-trustee-michael-randle-part-1
A list of all the books Michael has written:
Review of ‘Ban the Bomb’ – a book about Michael’s exploits:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/from-operation-gandhi-to-a-prison-escape-michael-randles-well-lived-life/
Michael’s most recent book, Rebel Verdict -the remarkable story of how peace activists took on the British government and won:
Why does Michael need your help now?
Michael sacrificed his own personal freedom, financial security and career opportunities in pursuit of peace and justice for us all. He put his life and liberty on the line for a cause he passionately believed in for everyone’s benefit.
Michael has lived a life true to his values and virtues of peace and justice. He and his wife, Anne, lovingly brought up their two sons while striving to create a better future for all children on the planet.
Michael was still writing, editing and sharing articles on peace activism right up until last year when old age finally forced him to stop. Now aged 90, Michael has Alzheimer’s Disease and is also suffering from reduced physical mobility.
Michael has gifted many years of peace, and the absence of war, to our lives. Can you help give Michael a few years of peaceful living in return?
As his Alzheimer’s progressed and he became increasingly frail, Michael was cared for by his loving wife of 63 years, Anne, at their family home in Bradford. Anne looked after Michael with the support of their two sons, Gavin and Sean, and the family’s local network of friends and neighbours.
However, in October 2023, Anne died suddenly and unexpectedly after a short illness.
Following Anne’s death, Gavin and Sean are now caring for Michael in the house he shared with Anne in Bradford. Gavin has moved up from Cornwall to Yorkshire to provide most of the care. Sean is contributing as much as he can around his own family and work commitments. However, this arrangement is far from ideal for two reasons.
Michael’s current situation
As Michael becomes more and more frail, and his Alzheimer’s gets progressively worse, his current house in Bradford - where he and Anne lived for many years - is no longer suitable for him.
At the same time, Michael’s granddaughter Elah – Gavin’s daughter – lives in Cornwall and has multiple disabilities requiring intensive round-the-clock care. Elah has a rare and very disabling genetic condition called CTNNB1, as well as severe ADHD.
Elah’s multiple disabilities and complex support needs mean that she requires intensive 24-hour care, and will probably continue to do so for the rest of her life. Now aged 13, Elah’s mother is having to provide most of the care for Elah in Calstock as Gavin is looking after Michael in Bradford.
Gavin wants to return to Cornwall to look after Elah, and Michael in a more suitable house - still in the local area where Elah attends a fantastic specialist school - that will provide her with long term stability and security.
Can you help Michael make the move to Cornwall?
With his Alzheimer’s continuing to take hold, and his physical mobility also much reduced, Michael would now like to move down to Calstock, in Cornwall, to be closer to his granddaughter Elah and their family and friends.
Michael is keen to make it easy for his family to care for him as his Alzheimer’s progresses. He also finds great comfort in the knowledge that, by moving to Cornwall, he will be helping to create a secure and stable future for Elah in the long term.
Michael, Gavin and Sean have identified a house in Calstock that will be suitable for both Michael and Elah’s needs.
Please make a donation today to help Michael and Elah secure this house!
Your contribution will ensure that Michael can enjoy the final years of his retirement in Cornwall surrounded by his family and friends.
It will also mean that Elah will have the long-term security of a home in Calstock to spend time with her Grandad and wider family. She will also be able to stay near the key health and social care workers who have worked hard to establish a trusting relationship with her over the years.
Moving to Cornwall will be a huge change for Michael after many happy years living in Yorkshire with Anne. However, he is reassured that living in Calstock will have many benefits for him and his family. Gavin will be able to return to Calstock with Michael and continue caring for him and Elah at the same time.
The house that Michael would like to buy is very well-suited for Michael and Elah’s needs. As well as being near family and friends, it is within easy walking distance of the local village as well as the train station and bus stop.
This is where you come in!
Unfortunately, Michael is at the mercy of ‘house price’ postcode inequalities. Calstock is a popular and relatively affluent area, and Bradford is, well let’s just say not so much! Due to the difference in these locations, the price of the new house in Cornwall is much higher than the market value of Michael’s current house in West Yorkshire.
Michael’s current home in Yorkshire is now on the market. If it achieves the full asking price, Michael will still need an extra £132,000 to buy the house in Calstock and make the necessary alternations.
While being almost perfect for Michael and Elah, the new house in Calstock also needs a small amount of work to meet their needs, including installing an accessible shower room.
How can you help?
Will you make a small donation towards the funds needed to make up the shortfall to buy this house and make the necessary alterations?
Please make a small contribution today!
Every pound and every penny will help Michael achieve his goal.
Please also share this crowdfunding appeal with your networks.
We will hit our target together if we can reach 1,000 people who each donate £132.
Or 2,000 people who each donate £66.
Or 4,000 who each donate £33!
Between us, with your help, we can ensure Michael hits his target.
Next steps
1. Please make a small contribution today by using the ‘Donate’ button below. If you don’t want to donate online, please contact Sean or Gavin for alternative ways to contribute.
2. Please share this appeal with all your networks, far and wide, and spread the word about how people can help.
Michael gave so much, over many decades, to make the world a better place for us all… Please now help Michael in return!
Organizer
Gavin Randle
Organizer