Success for borough's first Climate Action Week

A groundbreaking week held to raise awareness of how residents can help tackle the climate emergency proved to be a big success.

The borough’s first Climate Action Week (18 to 23 November) was organised jointly by Wokingham Borough Council and Woodley Town Council, with more than 200 residents taking part in the free events in Woodley.

The week involved a community litter pick, charity shop fashion show, information sessions and activities for children.

Both councils declared climate emergencies in 2019, making a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The borough council’s latest Climate Emergency Action Plan sets out goals and the current progress for each action.

Cllr Stephen Conway, leader of Wokingham Borough Council, said: “I am delighted to see Climate Action Week was met with the enthusiasm and passion we were hoping for. It is one thing to inform residents of the change that needs to happen for us to make improvements, but it is another to find creative ways to involve them in that process.

“It was particularly pleasing to see how we managed to appeal to young people and the way the community came together to make this week as successful as possible, especially braving the wind and rain. This week has also been an excellent example of working in partnership with our towns and parishes and how important it is to work together to make our borough as good as it can be.”

Cllr Juliet Anderson, Woodley Town Mayor, added: “It is important that we all play our part in addressing the climate emergency and take accountability for our individual carbon footprint and Climate Action Week has been an important week to raise awareness. 

“We had an interesting debate about changes we can all make and the bigger responsibilities the government must address. Despite Storm Bert, we collected an alarming amount of rubbish during the community litter pick. Not littering is just one small thing we can all do to play our part. Thank you to everyone involved and I hope those who attended found the events informative and food for thought.”

Here is a recap of how Climate Action Week unfolded…

Monday 18 November – the week kicked off with a recycled art workshop for children under the age of five. This was hosted by local artist Jo Wyles on behalf of Arts4Wokingham and kindly funded by more arts. The children made framed jellyfish using recycled materials, such as cardboard, wool and shiny threads.

Tuesday 19 November – many people, including the Deputy Town Mayor Cllr David Bragg, braved the rain on the Tuesday to attend a walk and tour event around Woodford Park. The tour involved a discussion about the wildlife and biodiversity in the ark, as well as information about the wonderful work carried out by Friends of Woodford Park.

Wednesday 20 November – there were four events for residents to attend. Citizens Advice Wokingham were in Woodley town centre offering advice about ways to be more energy efficient and reduce bills. The centre stage in the precinct then hosted a charity shop fashion show, organised by the Thames Hospice and Oxfam shops. 

The audience was inspired by a range of donating items to showcase a number of themes, including walking the dog, everyday fashion and Christmas jumpers. 

The show was attended by Cllr Bragg and the Borough’s Deputy Mayor, Cllr Carol Jewell. After this, Cllr Jewell headed over to the Oakwood Centre to help with the Woodley Repair Café. The final event of the day was a webinar from the Energy Saving Trust about electric vehicles, which can be watched online.

Thursday 21 November – the day started with a session from Dr Bike, who repaired bikes at Woodford Park Leisure Centre. The Oakwood Centre then hosted Year 3 children from Highwood Primary School, Rivermead Primary School and Woodley Church of England (C of E) Primary School. 

They were tasked with creating posters about the impact of the climate emergency of coral reefs. Pupils worked together in a mix of school groups in a challenge that was devised and run by the geography department at Bulmershe School. Cllr Bragg presented certificates to the winning team, which was made up of children from Highwood and Woodley C of E.

Friday 22 November – residents were invited to the Oakwood Centre to talk with representatives from both councils about the work being done to tackle the climate emergency. As well as sharing information, there was a quiz with interesting statistics about some of the effects of climate change and what changes everyone could make to reduce their carbon footprint. There were also rolling climate videos throughout the day in the theatre at the Oakwood Centre.

Saturday 23 November – following another information event from Citizens Advice Wokingham, a group of volunteers braved the wind and rain to join Woodley Adopt a Street to do a community litter pick. 

More than 12 bags of rubbish were collected during the event, which covered Woodford Park through to Western Avenue and St Dominic Savio Catholic Primary School, the town centre, the Waitrose and Lidl car parks, Brigade Walk, Arundel Road, Headley Road from the Oakwood centre to the Just Tiles roundabout, parts of Butts Hill Road, Woodlands Avenue, Crockhamwell Road to Loddon Bridge Road, Drovers Way, Lytham Road, Reading Road and Beechwood Avenue.

The week finished with an entertaining and informative Climate Fresk game, where a team of people had to order a set of 42 cards into cause-and-effect connections, creating a fresco of climate change.