The author of a new book documenting the resistance to war over the past 40 years says he hopes it can inspire people to realise their potential to influence change in the world.

Symon Hill’s The Peace Protesters covers the history of activism since 1980 and features many tales from the peace camp at Faslane.

After spending many years campaigning for peace himself, Symon hopes the book provide an insight in to this type of activism by drawing on real-life experiences and accounts.

He said: “Helensburgh and Faslane come into the book quite often. It’s obviously central to the nuclear weapons industry in the UK and therefore the protests against it.

“When the peace camp was set up in 1982, there were seven or eight camps set up around the UK in the space of a few months.

“Faslane is the only one that’s still there because of the importance of that site, regardless of the views you take of nuclear weapons.

“What really interested me when I interviewed people who lived in the peace camp was how they talked about interactions with the people who lived at the naval base.

“I interviewed to Jane Tallents, who lived at the peace camp for many years in the 1990s.

“She said sometimes she’d be hitch-hiking and would be given a lift from one of the naval officers who would use the opportunity to tell her their doubts about nuclear weapons because she was someone they could safely express that to.

“That human interaction in Helensburgh is, I think, really fascinating.”

The book also discusses the ethics and effectiveness of different tactics used by activists and the wide ranging views on this topic.

Symon also hopes it can challenge stereotypes of peace campaigners, helping people to understand the actions they take.

He added: “Many people taking direct action will do so nervously. Risking arrest, or possibly imprisonment, isn’t something you just do without thinking about it.

“I hope people will appreciate the diversity of people who take action for peace.

“I hope they’ll share their thoughts with me or with other people about what is and isn’t effective for achieving change in the world.

“If it inspires people to realise that change is brought about by ordinary people, then I’d be delighted my book had made a small contribution towards that.”