Great Big Green Week events in Sheffield, Scarborough, Bridlington and beyond to 'celebrate community climate action'

After a summer of record heat when fires raged in Yorkshire and around the country, that’s understandable.

But the Great Big Green Week from Saturday to Sunday October 2, an event hosted annually by the Climate Coalition, is a chance to celebrate community action, large or small, which does have a positive effect on the environment.

And there are plenty of events planned in Yorkshire as part of the nationwide drive.

Just a few of these include Sheffield-based Greener Greenhill’s Splash on the Grass, featuring stalls, wildflower planting and free bicycle MOTs which will take place this Saturday; a Talk with Jane Pottas, tutor of environmental and marine science at University of Hull, in Whitby on the same day; and a session by York Open Eco Homes on Saturday October 1 when people can find out how to make their home better for them and the planet.

Bronwen Smith-Thomas, head of campaigns and politics at the Climate Coalition, says: “We are thrilled to see so many communities in Yorkshire and across the UK come together to celebrate the heartfelt, brave, everyday actions being taken to stand up for nature and fight climate change.

“It’s inspiring to see such dedication to create a safer and greener world for the next generation.

“Great Big Green Week is a brilliant reminder that the solutions to tackle the climate crisis and protect nature do exist and there is hope for a brighter future.

“This nationwide action is a reminder to the Government that the public are demanding political action to support the greener choices they are making.”

As part of the campaign, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) will be carrying out some of its regular Waves of Waste beach cleans at locations along the Yorkshire Coast during the week of campaigning.

YWT figures from 2019 show that members collected 97 bags of rubbish up on Yorkshire beaches during 72 clean-up sessions. While 54 per cent of this waste could not be sourced, 28 per cent was recorded as public litter. Pieces of plastic were by far the most common items found. Beth Taylor, marine programme manager at YWT, says: “Approximately 20,000 tonnes of litter and waste is dumped into the North Sea every year, which ends up polluting our beaches and damaging marine wildlife and fragile habitats. By joining us on one of our beach cleans, you’ll be making a tangible difference to Yorkshire’s wildlife, and help us clean up Yorkshire’s seas.”

Greener Greenhill is a network of people in the Sheffield suburb committed to helping tackle “the climate and nature emergencies” by encouraging and supporting local activities.

Co-ordinator Lindy Stone says that the network was founded during last year’s Great Big Green Week and this year, they have organised activities at an event called Splash on the Grass in front of Greenhill Library between 10am and 2pm on Saturday.

As their first anniversary approaches, Lindy believes that community action is worth celebrating and that small steps can help in the climate crisis.

It has set up working groups to develop projects related to nature and green spaces, recycling, and energy.

Lindy says: “People think ‘Oh, nothing’s happening and it’s all awful - (but) there are some answers here.”

Elsewhere, the Newby & Scalby Library in Scarborough will be hosting the Milk Bottle Challenge on Saturday between 10.30am and 11.30am.

Youngsters will be tasked with not only recycling plastic milk bottles but turning them into something new, such as a bath toy, at the community library, which is run by volunteers.

Tricia Whelan, who is a trustee, says: “We don’t get funding for the library, but we can apply for grants, so it’s best if we can use what we have - paper, felt, or any material we try and re-use as much as we can.”

The times and dates of beach cleans can be found at https://www.ywt.org.uk/events and to search for Great Big Green Week events in a specific area, visit https://greatbiggreenweek.com/find-an-event/