This face mask features the iconic CND or peace symbol we have all come to recognise instantly!
The symbol has a clear history. It was designed by Gerald Holtom for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1958. The vertical line in the centre represents the flag semaphore signal for the letter D, and the downward lines on either side represent the semaphore signal for the letter N. “N” and “D”, for nuclear disarmament, enclosed in a circle. Holtom also described the symbol as representing despair, with the central lines forming a human with its hands questioning at its sides against the backdrop of a white Earth. It is said that Holtom originally considered using a Christian cross but disliked its association with the Crusades and ultimately chose something he considered to be more universal.
The seeds of the UK's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) were sown in 1957 in the wake of widespread fear of nuclear conflict and the effects of nuclear tests. A group of concerned individuals came together and chose Canon John Collins as their chairman, the philosopher Bertrand Russell as their president and political activist Peggy Duff as their organising secretary. The Campaign was launched at a public meeting at Central Hall, Westminster, on 17 February 1958, chaired by Collins and addressed by Michael Foot, Stephen King-Hall, J.B.Priestley, Bertrand Russell and A.J.P.Taylor. It was attended by 5,000 people. At Easter 1958 the first Aldermaston March attracted a great deal of attention and the CND symbol appeared everywhere.
Today CND campaigns non-violently to achieve British nuclear disarmament - to get rid of the Trident nuclear weapons system and stop its replacement. Recognising that Britain's nuclear weapons are only a small part of the problem it also campaigns for a global nuclear weapons ban.
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For every mask sold we will donate £1 to food banks providing emergency food and support to people locked in poverty in the UK.
