Friday 23 May 2025 – Contaminated land and water… and Zane’s law – Elizabeth Mansfield
About the talk:
Elizabeth will talk about the 1990 Environment Act and how legislation and planning
regulations are currently working in the UK in relation to the ticking time bomb of
contaminated land and water. The risks to human health, our fellow creatures, and
our environment, due to climate change and the increased risk of flooding, are of
growing concern.
Elizabeth is currently organising a summit on contaminated land and water at
Westminster in response to the growing call for a ‘Zane’s Law’ to amend and make fit
for purpose our environmental legislation, bringing it in line with other European
countries and with the UN Resolution, passed in July 2022, establishing the human
right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. She will talk about her
involvement with the campaign for Zane’s Law and how the related UK Landfills
Campaign is growing exponentially, with over 20 different local campaigns from all
over England and Wales, lobbying for action at both a local and national level.
Elizabeth was a near neighbour of the Gbangbola family, when Zane Gbangbola,
aged 7, died in the terrible Thames flooding of 2014. She‘s been actively
campaigning for the truth about his death to be uncovered, ever since. Zane’s family
and supporters, along with politicians of all persuasions, and several trade unions,
including Unison, Unite, the TUC and the Fire Brigades Union, believe that Zane
died of Hydrogen Cyanide poisoning from contaminated land next to his home.
Some of you may have watched the Netflix mini-series Toxic Town, and/or the BBC
Documentary Britain’s Toxic Secret, but if not, and if you’re interested, here are the
links:
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81372304
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0028ypp
About Elizabeth Mansfield:
Elizabeth trained at the Elmhurst Ballet School, the Guildhall School of Music &
Drama, and later at the City of Leeds College of Music. She has spent her working
life in the theatre as an actress, singer and producer. In 2002, she founded her own
theatre company, Ensemble, together with her partner Steve Trafford, dedicated to
touring new, thoughtful work to communities, alongside educational programms.
She has been a political activist since her teenage years, when she joined the mass
demonstrations in London against the Vietnam War, alongside fellow, American
drama students dodging the draft, including the Battle of Grosvenor Square in 1968
Elizabeth has lived in Lewes since 2019.

The venue:
The Elephant And Castle
White Hill
Lewes
BN7 2DJ
Tickets:
They are £5 and you can purchase them on the door or about a week before at the venue. Please note that the capacity of the venue is limited, we recommend buying the ticket in advance to avoid disappointment.
Times:
Starting at 7:30pm till 9:30pm