Campaigners have been ‘training up’ people who want to learn how to protest at public spending cuts.

A ‘protest fair’ was held by the Tower Hamlets ‘Hands Off Our Public Services’ campaign on Saturday with workshops to teach how to lobby politicians, organise demonstrations and even make their own banners.

The fair on Bethnal Green’s Cranbrook Estate included talks on how housing benefit changes and Andrew Lansley’s bill to privatise parts of the NHS will affect families in the East End.

Short films were also screened looking at the impact of the cuts and with teenagers explaining the link between youth projects being scrapped and street crime.

“Ordinary families have been struggling to make ends meet since the Government began forcing though austerity measures,” said campaign co-ordinator Glyn Robbins. “So we invited people to join us and build the resistance to the cuts.”

Campaigners also drew up plans to support the national strike on June 30 by trade unions taking industrial action against cuts to public sector pensions.