News / Countering Colston
Anti-Colston campaigners call for boycotting of Thatchers Cider
A pressure group which condemns the prevalence of Edward Colston in Bristol have called for Thatchers Cider to be boycotted.
Countering Colston campaign for the ‘decolonisation’ of Bristol, where remnants of the figure persist through the city’s road names, buildings and statues.
Members of the group have long criticised the elite organisation, the Society of Merchant Venturers, as a ‘cult of Colston’ which ‘celebrates’ the merchant, slave trader and philanthropist.
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Countering Colston have now launched a fresh attack on the family-owned cider business Thatchers, who have made cider on Myrtle Farm for over a century.
A demonstration took place outside Merchants Hall, the society’s base, the day before the beginning of the Colston 4 trial – photo: Rob Browne
In a recent Tweet, they wrote: “Martin Thatcher, director of the company, is a member of the Society of the Merchant Venturers.
“The SMV has deep roots in the historical slave trade in Bristol, and its members were responsible for the suffering and death of tens of thousands of human beings.
“They are a powerful unelected elite who have significant influence on political and civic life in Bristol.”
Martin Thatcher, a fourth-generation cider-maker, has been a member of the private members club, in which Colston himself was part of, since 2012.
He told Bristol24/7 that he, as a “relative newcomer” to the society, hopes he has brought “fresh perspective” to the organisation, particularly in how the organisation engages with its history.
About his membership of the Society of Merchant Venturers, Thatcher said: “During the time I have been a member, I have been able to contribute to the valuable, philanthropic work that members of the Merchant Venturers do with organisations across Bristol, from care homes to education establishments.
“As a relative newcomer to the society, I hope I’ve been able to bring a fresh perspective to thinking, in particular as to how the SMV needs to acknowledge what has happened in the past, yet continue to do its fantastic work for people across all Bristol communities in a way fitting and relevant for our lives today.”
Three generations of the Thatcher family – John Thatcher, Martin Thatcher, Eleanor Thatcher – photo: Thatchers
He is described on the Merchant Venturers’ website as “an active member of the National Association of Cider Makers, and takes a keen interest in lobbying government on behalf of the cider industry.”
Having previously called for the Merchant Venturers to be disbanded entirely, Countering Colston now want Thatchers cider to be boycotted.
Since the toppling of his statue on June 7 2020, parts of the city named after Colston have been rebranded as Bristol grappled with its past.
The Colston Hall became Bristol Beacon, Colston’s Girls’ School became Montpelier High School and the Colston Arms became the Open Arms.
Spearheading the debate linked with the name changes was Countering Colston, who aim to paint a ‘truer’ picture of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Bristol’s connection to it.
Main photo by Thatchers
Read more: ‘The Society of Merchant Venturers need to get out of our democracy’
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