2021 Highlight: Our Climate Action Festival

2021 was a busy and successful year which taught us a lot about how we can help Harrogate district to take big strides towards net zero in 2022. Our survey in the spring showed that local people are very worried about climate change but don't always know what to do to limit the damage. This prompted us to organise our first Climate Action Festival in October 2021. We were delighted when it was described in Parliament as "brilliant" and "the best kind of festival" by President of COP26, Alok Sharma MP.

Affectionately known as CAFe, the festival involved two separate days of demonstrations and talks as well as a variety of exciting fringe events. The launch day at Harrogate College enabled members of the public to get a glimpse of what a sustainable future will look like. Our net zero business conference at Harrogate Convention Centre focused on ways commercial organisations can find support with reducing their emissions. Local partners organised climate themed fringe events, so there were plenty of opportunities for everyone to learn about many types of climate action we can take. Around 60 private, public and voluntary organisations were involved in this first Climate Action Festival, which attracted numerous attendees.

The school children's competition was a particular joy during the CAFe, with hundreds of posters, poems and digital entries showing that our younger generations have great insight into many of the changes which we can make to help our district reach net zero.

We have sincerely thanked all those involved and plan to build on our new relationships to accelerate the impact of our work during 2022.