Northumberland Friends in climate festival
'Rebecca Woo, campaigns and advocacy coordinator for Britain Yearly Meeting, spoke at the event in Alnwick giving a brief history of climate justice from slavery to the present day.'
Quakers took part in a four-day climate justice festival in Northumberland last month. Rebecca Woo, campaigns and advocacy coordinator for Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), spoke at the event in Alnwick giving a brief history of climate justice from slavery to the present day.
Rosemary Hartill, from Edinburgh Meeting, also hosted a session at the Alnwick Playhouse as a trustee of the charity What a Wonderful World, which organised the festival. Other speakers included Chi Onwurah, MP for Central Newcastle and shadow minister for business, energy and industrial strategy. She talked about the risk of flooding in coastal areas, particularly in the north-east of England, and the likely impact of climate change on the poorest in the UK.
Rosemary Hartill told the Friend that the festival from 23-26 June had recruited ‘some outstanding speakers, artists and activists including Tom Heap, thoughtful and upbeat presenter of BBC Countryfile, and author of 39 Ways to Save the Planet’. Comedian Kate Fox also appeared, taking ‘a lighter look at the issues’. Meanwhile, Paul Smith and Duncan Lloyd from the band Maximo Park headlined a ‘Concert for the Planet’.
BYM and Woodbrooke have also launched ‘a year of learning and spiritual reflection on climate justice’. This includes freely-available resources and a pay-as-led online course designed to support people to develop a thorough understanding of the issues.
