IN front of a banner declaring ‘THERE IS A CLIMATE EMERGENCY’ on Saturday, August 17, representatives of a number of organisations including Friends of the Earth, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, friends and others, met at Bude’s Triangle to publicise and gain support for a motion being proposed that Bude-Stratton Town Council declare a climate emergency at their meeting on September 5, writes Christine Williams.

Philippa Purchase of the newly formed Climate Action Bude group said: “Our town prides itself on being at the forefront on ‘green initiatives’ and we believe the council should publicly lead the way in recognising the urgency with which we will all need to change in order to prevent a climate catastrophe.”

The event offered group members the chance to speak with passers-by and explain why it was vital that the town council join with hundreds of councils and organisations up and down the country to recognise the seriousness of the climate crisis.

Among those present was Cllr Simon Browning who will be proposing the motion that the council develop an action plan to become carbon neutral by 2030. Also there, holding a banner with the words ‘SEA LEVELS ARE RISING — SO ARE WE’ was Indigo Haynes of Extinction Rebellion who despite her 15 years is already a seasoned campaigner. She has missed lessons while taking part in school strikes, has sat in the House of Commons as a member of the UK Youth Parliament, has spoken up about school funding and votes for 16-year-olds at a conference in Leeds. She said: “There is so much wrong with the world. Young people’s voices must not be lost.”