Vapouround magazine Vapouround Magazine Issue 26 | Page 116

N F E R H unity @ THE EXPO The minds behind Together We Are Vape were bringing the people of this industry together at the Expo, but the work doesn’t stop there. Words: Phoebe Fuller 110 VM26 F E AT U R E S The vaping industry has taken a battering recently, there is simply no other way of putting it. We’ve been hit with a mass of negative press and fake news; culminating in flavour bans and all-out vaping prohibition in many parts of the US. For James Parnell, Together We Are Vape’s co- creator, the time has come to say: enough is enough. “The aim of Together We Are Vape is, fi rst and foremost, to have a global online hub of information; so that individuals and advocacy groups around the world can arm themselves with the knowledge that they need to stand up for our industry,” James says. Though in its early stages, James hopes that Together We Are Vape will become something of a global foundation or a union for the vaping industry. He says: “People will be able to sign up to Together We Are Vape and then they’ll have some industry backing if - and when - they need to lobby governments or otherwise defend the industry. “Technically, we’d be a governing body but only conceptually. Together We Are Vape is going to be more of an umbrella for existing advocacy groups, who will then have that added support from us.”