A gathering at the Guildhall in Bath has marked the launch of the first Climate & Biodiversity Festival, which opened on Monday, 13th September.
Councillor Sarah Warren and Councillor Kevin Guy | Photo courtesy of B&NES Council
The festival, which has been organised by Bath & North East Somerset alongside members of the community, is showcasing the action taken to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies and enable more residents to get involved.
The first face-to-face event of the festival took place yesterday, 14th September, when volunteers from Time Bank Plus led a short walk from their office in Twerton to Bath City Farm identifying flowers, shrubs and trees.
Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for Climate Change and Sustainable Transport, said: “We’ve all got a shared responsibility to tackle the challenges of the environmental crisis, so it is really inspiring that so many community groups have stepped forward to suggest their own activities and events for inclusion in the festival. It shows how much is going on in our area.
“This really puts the focus on what we are doing locally and starts the conversation ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
“Please get involved and join in the events to support these groups. There programme has plenty to choose from and most of them are free.”
This Saturday, 18th September, Friends of Lyncombe Hill Fields will be sharing stories of creating one of Britain’s first Tiny Forests on a 10-acre plot of former farmland by planting 950 native saplings
In the second week of the festival, Friends of the Orchard at Broadmoor Lane will be running an evening walk led by an ecologist with bat detectors available, and a Green Gym which allows volunteers to join in with the ecological management of the site.
Wild About Bath, a new organisation encouraging people to enjoy nature, conserve wildlife and build community in Combe Down, Monkton Combe and Southstoke are encouraging people to take part in a Garden BioBlitz to find and record as many species as possible.
Another local network, FACE (Families Acting on Climate Emergency), has organised a family-friendly workshop to explore the insects, flora and fauna on Kensington Meadows.
You can find the full programme of events and register for events here.
