A major new event in Bootle which focused on ‘green’ measures that our local community can take to contribute towards saving the planet has been hailed as a success.
The Bootle Climate Action Festival was organised by Bootle-based social enterprise Regenerus and the Taking Root in Bootle community gardening network.
Ruth Livesey of Regenerus said that organisers were delighted that more than 200 people attended the event at Bootle Canalside, which proved to be the perfect venue.
She also thanked everyone who ran a workshop or looked after a stall at the festival, made possible by the support of the Linacre Ward councillors.
Ruth said the organisers were particularly pleased to welcome Bootle MP Peter Dowd to the event. who obviously enjoyed viewing the various exhibitions and chatting to stallholders.
The aim of the festival was to offer something for visitors of all ages, including the air quality interactive experience from Immersive Interactive, a great way to engage younger people in this key issue.
There was also information, advice and giveaways on topics including how to reduce our food waste, how to lessen our carbon footprint, better recycling, energy saving, understanding air quality and why we should be buying local and sustainable textiles.
Free bike safety checks were on offer to encourage cycle use, and visitors could also help to reduce their food miles by buying artisan products made in and around Bootle.
Thanks to a donation from Service Electrical Distribution Ltd almost 300 LED bulbs were given away at the event. These use around 70 to 80 per cent less energy than traditional light bulbs, and last almost ten times longer.
Bootle’s eco-friendly printer The Print Room UK also supported the event by producing eye-catching posters, with the Taking Root in Bootle team also getting in on the act by designing a ‘green’ display stand made by re-using old pallets.
Commenting on the event Regenerus Chairman, Cllr John Fairclough, said: “It’s easy to think that the climate emergency is such a big challenge that there’s not much we as individuals can do to tackle it.
“However, the message at Bootle’s first Climate Action Festival was that collectively all our efforts do add up and can make a difference, and we shared a lot of ideas about how we can do that little bit more in the future.
“As an organisation we are committed to doing what we can to address the climate emergency. This fantastic event was part of those efforts and it was great to see the interest of the many local residents who attended the event.”
The festival was also a flagship event for Canalside’s regeneration project. The site is projected to open to the public in the autumn and, following on from the success of today’s festival, the Council are hoping to host more community focused events in the future.