Pat Thomas is an author, journalist and campaigner specialising in the field of environment and health. She qualified as a transpersonal psychotherapist in 1991 at the Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling Education in London. She lives in London, England. Through her writing she has built a reputation for challenging assumptions of science and culture.

Career

Thomas was an early campaigner for evidence-based healthcare. Her early books concentrated on providing information to women who wished to have safe, non-interventionist births. During the time she was Editor of the AIMS Journal, the quarterly magazine of the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services (AIMS).

In 1992 she began writing for the newsletter What Doctors Don't Tell You, produced by the independent publisher Wallace Press. She moved on to become an editor there and for 12 years was one of its most prolific contributors. In 2003 she became editor of its sister-publication, the consumer magazine Proof!, to which she had been contributing since its inception in 1996. During this time she also contributed regularly to another Wallace Press title, Natural Parent.

In 2004 she began writing the Behind the Label column, which exposed risky chemicals in everyday products, for the Ecologist magazine. In 2005 she became the Ecologist’s Health Editor and authored some of the magazine's most widely read feature investigations.

By 2007 Thomas had been appointed editor of the Ecologist magazine, a position she held until June 2009 when the print magazine switched to a online format. As editor of the Ecologist she spearheaded its campaigns, acted as its public face in the media and helped established the Ecologist Film Unit with film partners, the international investigations agency, Ecostorm. She was also responsible for a major redesign of the magazine. She continued to write the popular Behind the Label column until January 2011.

Post Ecologist she went on to become Campaign Director for Paul McCartney's

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

 Meat Free Monday campaign, helping to launch and establish the campaign in the UK. Under her direction the campaign took founder Paul McCartney to a special plenary session of the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

 to speak about the health and environmental benefits of reducing the amount of meat in the typical Western diet. The event in December 2009 was broadcast around the world via the internet.

In 2010 Thomas became Campaign Manager for the Cows Belong in Fields campaign at Compassion in World Farming

Compassion In World Farming

Compassion in World Farming is a campaigning and lobbying animal welfare organisation, with headquarters in the UK, branches in eight European countries and international representatives in China, Australia and South Africa...

. The campaign aimed to stop the UK’s first mega-dairy in the village of Nocton, Lincolnshire, where a planned 8000 high-yielding cows would be reared indoors, on the grounds of risks to animal welfare and the local environment. Nocton Dairies

Nocton Dairies

Nocton Dairies is a British company which was formed by Devon farmer and cheese-maker Peter Willes and Lancashire milk producer David Barnes in order to construct an 8,100 dairy at Nocton Heath in Lincolnshire, which would have allegedly been the largest in Western Europe.-Planning applications:A...

  withdrew its plans in February 2011 after overwhelming objections from campaigners, the public, local authorities and the UK’s Environment Agency.

In 2010 Thomas was also the host of Deep Fried Planet, a weekly radio programme on London’s Resonance FM

Resonance FM

Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station run by the London Musicians' Collective .The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and over 300 volunteer technical and production staff.Until September 2007, ResonanceFM...

. She also researched and wrote the report Healthy Planet Eating which outlined the health and environmental case for eating less meat, for environmental campaigning group Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...

.

In 2011 she became involved in sustainability and web-based projects with Neal's Yard Remedies

Neal's Yard Remedies

Neal's Yard Remedies is a leading independent British retailer of organic natural health and beauty products. Founded in 1981 in Covent Garden, London, they have 40 stores across the UK. They also have branches in Japan and the USA...

, one of the UK's leading organic health and beauty companies. One of these projects is the natural health website NYR Natural News.

She has also produced a web-based tool called Infrequently Asked Questions, which encourages users to ask more in-depth questions about cultural and personal issues.

Over the course of her career Thomas has written many books for adults and children.

Her work has been featured in, and she has written on a wide range of topics for, publications such as the Guardian newspaper, the Independent newspaper, Here’s Health, Top Santé, Health & Fitness, Geographical magazine

Geographical Magazine

Geographical is the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society , and was founded by Michael Huxley in 1935....

 and Caduceus.

She is frequently on national and local TV and radio. She has been a regular guest on Anna Raeburn’s Talk Radio programme and featured on BBC Radio 4's

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...

 Costing the Earth and makes regular appearances on programmes for the BBC, ITV, Radio 5 Live, Sky news

Sky News

Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...

, RTE

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

, Carlton, Ireland AM, Granada Talk TV, LBC, the World Service and others.

Accolades

June 2011 – The Cows Belong in Fields campaign won Compassion in World Farming the Observer Ethical Award 2011 for Campaigner of the Year, beating runners up 38 Degrees

38 Degrees

38 Degrees is a UK non-profit, progressive, political activism organisation that campaigns on a diverse range of issues, such as protecting the environment and tackling climate change, democratic media ownership, child poverty and political reform...

 and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics philosophy...

. The award was selected by "a combination of reader votes and an expert panel".

October 2007 – the London Evening Standard identified Thomas as one of the 1000 most influential people in London.

September 2002 – Thomas' book Your Birth Rights was listed at one of the 50 Best Books for New Parents by the Independent

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

newspaper.

1998 – Thomas’s children’s book My Family’s Changing – A First Look at Divorce won the English Association’s Best Picture Book, non-fiction, for ages 4–7.

Books

Thomas has written numerous books for both adults and children. Her books have been translated into multiple languages including Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Greek, Japanese, Dutch and Turkish.

For adults

• Stuffed: Positive Action to Prevent a Global Food Crisis (Sawdays, 2010) ISBN 1906136475
• Skin Deep (Rodale 2008) ISBN 1905744234
• Healthy, Happy Baby (Rodale 2008) ISBN 1905744242
• The 21st Century is Making You Fat (Gaia 2008) ISBN 1856752909
• What’s in This Stuff? The Essential Guide to What’s in Really in the Products You Buy (Rodale, 2006) ISBN 1405095490
• Under the Weather – How Weather and Climate Affect Our Health (Fusion Press, 2004) ISBN 1904132308
• Living Dangerously – Are Everyday Toxins Making You Sick? (New Leaf, 2003) ISBN 0717136000
• What Works, What Doesn’t – The Guide to Alternative Healthcare (New Leaf, 2002)ISBN 0717133648
• Your Birth Rights (Women’s Press, 2002) [note this is a revision of Every Woman’s BirthRights] ISBN 0704347105
• Cleaning Yourself to Death – How Safe is Your Home? (New Leaf, 2001) ISBN 0717131629
• Alternative Therapies for Pregnancy and Birth (Element, 2000) ISBN 1862047278
• Pregnancy – The Common Sense Approach (Gill & Macmillan, 1999) ISBN 0717129241
• Headaches – The Common Sense Approach (Gill & Macmillan, 1999) ISBN 0717129233
• Every Birth is Different (Headline, 1997) ISBN 0747277370
• Every Woman’s BirthRights (Thorsons, 1996) ISBN 0722532814

For children

• I Can Make a Difference – A First Look at Setting a Good Example (Hodder/Wayland, 2010) ISBN 0750261382
• Everyone Maters – A First Look at Respect for Others (Hodder/Wayland, 2010) ISBN 0750261366
• Why Do I feel Scared – A First Look at Being Brave (Hodder/Wayland, 2010) ISBN 0750261374
• I Can Do it! – A First Look at Perseverance (Hodder/Wayland,2010) ISBN 0750261390
• Why Am I So Tired? – A First Look at Childhood Diabetes (Hodder/Wayland 2008) ISBN 0750252375
• I Think I’m Going to Sneeze – A First Look at Allergies (Hodder/Wayland, 2008) ISBN 0750252383
• Do I Have to Go to the Dentist? – A First Look at Dental Care (Hodder/Wayand, 2008) ISBN 0750252391
• Why is it So Hard to Breathe? – A First Look at Asthma (Hodder/Wayland (2008) ISBN 0750252367
• Do I Have to Go to School? – A First Look at Going to School (Hodder/Wayland, 2006) ISBN 0340894520
• My Manners Matter – A First Look at Good Manners (Hodder/Wayland, 2006) ISBN 0340894539
• Do I Have to Go to Hospital? – A First Look at Going to Hospital (Hodder/Wayland, 2006) ISBN 0340894512
• I’m Telling the Truth – A First Look at Honesty (Hodder/Wayland, 2006) ISBN 0340894504
• The Skin I’m In – A First Look at Racism (Hodder/Wayland, 2003) ISBN 0750242612
• I Can Be Safe – A First Look at Safety (Hodder/Wayland, 2003) ISBN 0750242655
• Is it Right to Fight? – A First Look at Conflict (Hodder/Wayland, 2003) ISBN 0750242639
• My Parents Picked Me! – A First Look at Adoption (Hodder/Wayland, 2003) ISBN 0750242671
• Don’t Call Me Special! – A First Look at Disability (Hodder/Macdonald, 2001) ISBN 0750235551
• My Amazing Body – A First Look at Health and Fitness (Hodder/Macdonald, 2001) ISBN 0750235586
• My Brother, My Sister and Me – A First Look at Sibling Relationships (Macdonald Young Books, 2000) ISBN 0750028882
• Stop Picking On Me! – A First Look at Bullying (Macdonald Young Books, 2000) ISBN 0750028874
• I Miss You – A First Look at Death (Hodder/Macdonald, 2000) ISBN 0750030739
• My Friends & Me – A First Look at Friendship (Hodder/Macdonald, 2000) ISBN 0750030690
• My Amazing Journey – A First Look at Where Babies Come From (Macdonald Young Books, 1998) ISBN 0750025743
• My Family’s Changing – A First Look at Family Break-up (Macdonald Young Books, 1998) ISBN 0750025719

Booklets/Guides

• You Can Prevent Cancer (Wallace Press, 1999)
• The PROOF! Guide to Alternative First Aid (Wallace Press, 1998)
• Choosing a Home Birth (AIMS, 1998)

As a contributor

• A Slice of Organic Life, Editor: Sheherazade Goldsmith (Dorling Kindersley, 2007) ISBN 1405317752
• Failure To Progress – The Contraction of Midwifery (Routledge, 2002) ISBN 0415235588
• Living Organic, Pat Thomas & Others (Time Life Books, 2001) ISBN 1570716803
• Your Healthy Heart (Wallace Press, 1999)
• The Guide to Men’s Health (Wallace Press, 1998)
• The Vaccination Bible (Wallace Press, 1998)
• The Guide to Menopause (Wallace Press, 1997)

External links

• Infrequently Asked Questions http://www.iaqs.org.uk
• The Ecologist: No one tells us what we can or can't print, The Independent, 15 October 2007
• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-ecologist-no-one-tells-us-what-we-can-or-cant-print-396879.html
• Ecologist Film Unit http://www.eco-storm.com/ecologist-film-unit/
• Ecostorm http://www.eco-storm.com/
• NYR Natural News http://wwwnyrnaturalnews.com