top of page

Profile of Climate Action Leeds community hubs soars at Leeds 2023 summer activities

Scarecrows, art exhibitions & a big bike fix brought environmental themes to local Leeds 2023 activities throughout July & August to highlight our local hubs' work on climate action


Alwoodley 2030 climate hub partnered with Valley Striders, Leeds Cycling Campaign & West Yorkshire Police to run an Active Travel event, promoting sustainable solutions for local travel in the ward. Over 100 people came along, including 27 who enjoyed a guided ride around Eccup. Local bike enthusiast & owner of OddBike Dan Bell, fixed 48 bikes & over 60 bikes were marked by the police to deter theft.


Hub Worker Jen Walper-Roberts said: "It was a brilliant day, we were excited to engage with so many local residents, many of whom shared great ideas for initiatives that could take place in the ward, not just around Active Travel but to respond to the climate crisis more generally".


In Horsforth, professional artists funded by Leeds 2023 ran 'Our Green Space' art workshops as part of the Horsforth Leeds 2023 cultural celebration. All artwork was displayed during the annual Horsforth Walk of Art trail, during which Horsforth Climate Action hosted various family-friendly activities, including bug hotel building, a nature treasure hunt & upcycling clothing.


Local artist & activist Penny Lewis, who curated all these contributions, said: "The weekend was a stupendous success with around 700 people through the doors and a buzz in the church all weekend. Over 80 people signed up to remain involved in Horsforth Climate Action; it feels exciting to see things gaining momentum across Horsforth". Regular monthly events called 'HCA Saturdays' are now planned throughout the autumn, running alongside the hugely popular repair cafe at St Margaret's Church. The next will take place on 7th October focusing on sustainable food.



Scarecrows were the name of the game in Seacroft, with 22 entries into Seacroft's first scarecrow trail. Kids & adults alike from across LS14 took part, with scarecrows 'in person' or on display via photos so that the public could vote on their favourite. The voting took place on the Village Green, where there were activities & stalls hosted by organisations across the We Are Seacroft network.



Local Hub Worker Clarrie Ramsden said: "It was a fab day, so much fun & a great way to use something different to raise the profile of Climate Action Seacroft." Over 80 people signed up to join the mailing list here too, showing how positive & important arts activities are in engaging people in the theme of climate change.


Our finale contribution to the Leeds 2023 programme will be our bi-annual Climate Assembly in October. We'll be hosting The Human Aquarium: Deep Water exhibition, part of a week of events focusing on the intersection of art and climate hosted by Climate Action Leeds. The week will kick off with a launch party on Thursday 26th October & a full day’s programme of activities & workshops on 31st October, both at Imagine Leeds: the climate action hub on the 7th Floor of City Exchange on Albion Street in Leeds city centre.

Comments


bottom of page