Great Big Green Week returns

THE fourth annual Great Big Green Week returns to Henley tomorrow (Saturday).

The festival, which is organised by Greener Henley and runs until June 16, will feature activities, talks and workshops exploring how people can tackle climate change and restore nature and wildlife.

The week is a national initiative designed to bring communities together to protect the planet and inspire collective action.

Kate Oldridge, who chairs Greener Henley, said: “We are aiming for this to be the biggest and best Great Big Green Week yet. We have lots of activities and things to do. We anticipate events will be even more popular this year as people become increasingly aware of the need to protect our planet.

“The week will kick off tomorrow with a nature discovery day in Mill Meadows with a wildflower walk, butterfly sweep and bug hunt.

“There will be great talks going on throughout the week. I would encourage everybody to go a talk on Sunday about faith, climate and displacement, called “Our moral obligation?”

The week is centred on community action to tackle climate change with a new initiative launched called the great big food swap, which encourages people to eat less meat.

Ms Oldridge, from Shiplake, said: “One of the best ways to cut your carbon footprint is to eat a plant-based diet. We have former England rugby player Ollie Phillips, who lives in Shiplake, going meat free for a month for the challenge.

“We have a number of calls to action and I would encourage every to get involved in Nature2 where we are encouraging everybody to plant a square metre of native wildflowers in their garden, school or workplace.

“We are also encouraging people to sign the Zero Hour campaign, which calls on MPs to sign the Climate and Nature Bill. This will show our prospective parliamentary candidates that we want action on climate change.

“Let’s make this the biggest and boldest Great Big Green Week so far, so come out and meet us, get involved and take action.”

The programme is as follows:

On Saturday, June 8, a nature discovery day will be held at Mill Meadows for people of all ages. From 10am to 2pm, there will be a range of drop-in activities including a wildflower walk, butterfly sweep and bug hunt.

A wildlife photography session will take place and there will also be a number of conservation groups on hand to answer questions and look at finds and give information about the area and the River Thames.

Free native wildflower seeds will be available and visitors can learn more about the Nature2 campaign. Outside Pavilion Foods in Market Place, there will be a plant versus beef burger taste test from noon to 2pm in which people can try both and decide which one tastes better.

A family friendly art and gardening session will be held at Henley library in Ravenscroft Road from 2pm to 4pm. Booking is required.

On Sunday, a paddleboard river clean will take place from 10am led by Warriors on Waste and Go with the Flo. The event will be ticketed, with the price to be confirmed. At 2pm, there will be a screening at the Regal Picturehouse cinema in Bell Street of Elephant Mother, a documentary following Thai conservationist Lek Chailert, who takes on the tourist industry to rescue abused elephants, followed by a live question and answer session with Ms Chailert. Tickets cost £10.

From 7pm to 9pm in the town hall council chamber, there will be a discussion called “Our moral obligation? Faith, climate and displacement” with the Bishop of Reading Rt Rev Olivia Graham, Alex Arnall, associate professor of environment and development at the University of Reading, and Krish Kandiah, founder of refugee charity Sanctuary Foundation. Tickets are free but booking is required.

On Monday, a talk called “In our hands: our climate future” will be held in the town hall council chamber from 7pm to 9pm.

Speaker Chris Merchant, a professor at the University of Reading, will talk about how ingenuity and determination can meet the net zero target and answer questions. Tickets are free but booking is required.

On Tuesday, entries to the Greener Henley poetry competition with the theme “Tread gently on the earth” will be displayed at a reading session in Henley library from 6pm to 7.30pm.

On Wednesday, a screening of the film Wilding, based on the book by author Isabella Tree, will be held at the cinema from 8pm to 10.15pm followed by a panel discussion.

The film follows the journey of a couple who rewilded their failing, 400-year-old farmed estate. This event is ticketed.

On Thursday, an interactive “Greening your business” workshop for local business owners will be held at the River & Rowing Museum from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

The aim is to help businesses cut costs, reduce waste and increase customer loyalty. The workshop is free but booking is required.

On Sunday, June 16, visitors can explore the green spaces at Badgemore Primary School in Gardens from 11am to 2pm.

All week there will be a scavenger hunt for families in which 10 different shop windows will display crafted flowers with the letters inside them spelling out a mystery word.

The River & Rowing Museum is hosting an exhibition of local students’ work called Pollution.

For more information, visit https://greenerhenley.org.uk