“IT’S not enough to sit in council chambers just talking we need to seee action, and we need to see it now.”
That was the message to Redditch Borough Council from Claire Davies as she braved the rain and cold weather with a few other hardy souls for this months Youth Strike 4 Climate protest outside the Town Hall.
Claire, the parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in Redditch, added: “There’s definitely a change among people and they are getting the message.
“But even if they could do all they could as an individual it would still not be enough.
“Transport, our dependence on fossil fuel, industry, it’s all pervasive and change must start from the Town Hall here in Redditch.”
She added that thanks to the efforts of the Redditch Development Corporation the potential for Redditch to go greener was huge.
“Redditch could be fantastic – the number of safe cycleways and paths we have away from traffic shows we have the possibility of making use of this infrastructure.
“But these need to be opened up, people need to know about them, and we need secure lock-ups where people can put their bikes.
“Then there’s public transport – we need a decent and reliable bus service here in Redditch.”
Claire’s 11-year-old daughter was also at the protest.
She said: “I still think school is important but I feel like my future and fighting for it is more important than sitting in a classroom learning about Henry VIII.
“We learn about the dodo going extinct.
“In the future children could be sitting learning about the pigeons and robins that have gone extinct because we didn’t act quick enough, and it’s up to us to save the pigeons and birds and lots of other animals.
“I’m really proud of how far we have come and I’m really proud of everyone except the council and the government.
“I want them to wake up and see that they are in charge, and they have to stop what they have created.”
To hear Claire and her daughter Sophie talk about Youth Strike 4 Climate, click here
