General, UK-wide email to local Councillors, requesting support

Good morning Councillor [their surname]

My name is [your name] and I reside at [enter your full address here].

You are probably familiar with the increasing media and public interest in the UK Seal Alliance Save Our Seals from Flying Rings Campaign.

As a resident, I have been actively involved in promoting the campaign in an effort to reduce the unnecessary suffering to seals that visit our coastline.

The campaign and petition have only recently been launched, on 26th May 2025, but has already accrued over 42,000 signatures from the public, who support action against the sale and purchase of flying rings.

What is the campaign about and why am I seeking your support?

Flying rings are imported into the UK and sold across the country in their thousands. They are sold for as little as £1 and are often lost or discarded on our beaches or near waterways. Eventually, they end up floating in our seas where unsuspecting, curious seals find them.

They see them as a toy or a plaything but their natural curiosity will soon turn into a nightmare when they place their heads inside the ring and it gets stuck fast on their necks.

There is no escape, they are now entrapped and suffer immense pain, infection and often death.

Very few can be rescued but those that are undergo many months of rehabilitation at specialist Wildlife Centres.

The rehabilitation costs to these charities are estimated to be up to £15,000 per seal and all because of a flying ring costing an average wholesale price of 33 pence!

There is an immediate and simple solution to this avoidable situation, and that is for retailers to only sell solid disc frisbees, preferably non-plastic, and for the public to only purchase these items.

Many Unitary Authorities in England and Wales have voted unanimously to voluntarily ban these from being sold or purchased within their areas. For example, Cornwall, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan, Great Yarmouth and North Norfolk Councils, to name a few, have taken the lead and many more are following.

Councils in Cornwall, Norfolk and Wales are also operating a voluntary ban on the use of flying rings and have installed signage to raise awareness of the danger of flying rings to seals.

How can you help?

In your capacity of representing us in the community, I am asking for your support to place before [Name Council] a Notion of Motion calling for a voluntary ban on the sale and purchase of flying rings.

If you do support this I have a number of resources available, including an actual Notion of Motion placed before Cornwall and Swansea Councils, to assist you.

This is a great opportunity for [Name Council] to join their fellow Council colleagues across the UK who want to make a positive stand against animal suffering.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.