Keynsham & Saltford Community Eco Festival is taking place this weekend and high-profile supporters are lending their support.
The event is being hosted by Churches Together Keynsham & Saltford and gets under way tonight with an evening of talks and debate at The Space about what we can do as individuals and in our community to make a difference to climate change.
Tomorrow is festival day and there will be stalls in Market Walk and The Space in Keynsham from 10am to 3pm and people can chat with local organisations about all things sustainable, including recycling, tree planting, renewable energy, electric cars and bikes, nature conservation and sustainably produced goods including food. Among the many groups taking part are Keynsham Wombles, Christian Climate Action, Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace Bath, Fairtrade and Christian Aid.
There will be a nature-inspired exhibition of photographs and artwork by children, along with images of global climate change impact, at the Baptist Church from 10am to 3pm. At Victoria Methodist Church from 10am to 3pm visitors can view exhibitions of creation made by the Girls’ Brigade and reflect on nature and our dependence on it at prayer tables.
There will be nature-based activities for children and families at the Community Plot in Memorial Park (next to the café) from 11am to 3pm as well as at St Francis Church in Warwick Road.
For more information head to https://www.facebook.com/CommunityEcoFestival
In a message supporting the festival, the comedian and environmentalist Bill Bailey, who grew up in Keynsham, said: “Like so many of you I was shocked by the recent IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, which put, in no uncertain terms that global heating due to our own actions is reaching critical levels.
“We have all known about this for a long while, but to hear the warnings so starkly made is a big wake-up call for us all. So this initiative by Churches Together and Keynsham Council could not be more timely and essential, and I loudly applaud all their efforts.”
The young ornithologist and activist Mya-Rose Craig, known as Birdgirl, has also offered her support. Author of the book We Have a Dream, she last year received an honorary doctorate in science from the University of Bristol. She said: “I’m supporting Keynsham Eco Festival because the worldwide climate emergency needs us all. As I wrote in We Have a Dream, I believe that to best protect the environment, we must leverage the input and contribution of as many people as possible. Time is running out, we need urgent change and to do this we must tackle the climate emergency together.”
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