This week we get a chance to enjoy the fifth Thames Ditton & Weston Green ‘Nature & Climate Festival’, taking place in Vital Village in Thames Ditton from Friday to Sunday, 9-11th October.
On Friday there is a unique chance to meet the team from Elmbridge Museum and see some of their collection that has been ‘Inspired by Nature’. You can see (and possibly even handle) some very special items that have been selected for the Festival to show how our natural world has inspired artists, creatives and manufacturers in the past. Nowadays the museum is a virtual museum and the only chance to see their items is when they take them out into the community, so this will be a real treat for anyone interested in Elmbridge’s history to get right up close to some of our local heritage and learn about why they are in the collection. From 10.00am to 2.00pm
This is accompanied by a networking event for Surrey groups involved in climate, environment, conservation and recycling. Participation is by invitation but there are 30 ‘observer’ places available and a lunch afterwards, so if you want to meet the movers and shakers who are fighting to preserve Surrey’s natural environment you can book a place at the ‘What’s On’ page on the Vital Village website.
Saturday offers a chance to learn all about recycling – where our waste goes and what happens to it, and how we can get it right. To rinse, or not to rinse? Are Christmas cards recyclable? Do papers towels go in recycling? All these questions and more can be answered by the Surrey Environment Partnership team and they will entertain us with quizzes, games and free, recycled mementoes. Family fun for all ages, from 10.00am.
Meanwhile in the Cabin, Cecile who runs The Thread Atelier (above Thames Ditton Gin but shortly to move into the High Street) is running a Clothes Swap. bring along you pre-loved items, get tokens and exchange them for some good-as-new items off the rails. It’s a great chance to refresh your wardrobe for free. Women’s, men’s and children’s clothes are welcome (clean and good quality).
In the evening there is a chance to see the film The People’s Emergency Briefing, which is a must-see. Chris Packham presents this vitally important briefing on climate change and what we, as individuals and communities, can do to adapt and change our behaviours. It pulls no punches in telling the story of the global impacts of climate disruption and some people will find the facts distressing, so there will be a facilitated discussion afterwards and a chance to assimilate the messages in a supportive and safe space with refreshments. Places are limited to 70 (for fire restrictions) so please book now (at Vital Village website) to ensure you have a chance to see it.
On Sunday morning there is a pop-up Repair Cafe and a second opportunity to enjoy the Clothes Swap and at lunchtime the wonderful ‘We Are the Voice’ children’s environmental choir return to entertain us with their spellbinding talent and obvious passion for our planet.
The programme is in the centre of Thames Ditton Today magazine, or you can visit it here: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/8226a189a4.html
We hope to see you there!