SWINDON teenager Laurie Pycroft has led another protest in support of animal research.

The 16-year-old founder of Pro-Test, which supports the new Oxford Biomedical Research Facility, was pleased with Saturday's turn-out.

Prof Colin Blakemore, the chief executive of the Medical Research Council, MP Alan Duncan, the Shadow Secretary For Trade And Industry, and Dr Ken Fleming, head of the Oxford University Medical Science Division were among the speakers at the event in Oxford..

Laurie, of Old Town, said: "It went quite well. We had a good turn-out and it was all peaceful.

"We had excellent speakers and people seem less afraid and much more willing to stand up in support of science than ever before."

Last week, Oxford University was granted an extension to its injunction against animal rights activists.

The High Court widened an order to protect staff, students and contractors from harass-ment by some protesters.

Laurie said: "While there is still a climate of fear as a result of the activities of animal rights activists there is a definite shift both in the public and academic community."

BBC presenter and academic Prof Robert Winston has congratulated Laurie for his campaigning and on Saturday all the speakers mentioned him.

"To hear all these people talk about me is really quite surreal," he said.

Construction of the £20m laboratory in South Parks Road was halted in July 2004 when contractors pulled out after a campaign led by Speak.

Oxford University has said that since work on the centre resumed in November last year, threats and criminal damage had increased.

But Laurie and his supporters are not prepared to be intimidated.

While Pro-Test marched in Oxford anti-vivisection cam-paigners demonstrated in Gloucestershire, outside lodgings of contractors working on the building.

Mel Broughton, from SPEAK, said they were not putting the workers at risk by identifying their accommodation.

He said: "This is a place where millions of animals are being experimented on.

"They're going to suffer and they're going to die.

"We feel we have a legitimate right to protest within the law against anyone who's involved in it.

"That's exactly what this protest is about."