Sunday 29^th August 2021. 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

When most people think about taking part in a climate change protest they might think of going on a march, youth strike or even sitting on a busy road. A group of locals from Fulking in the South Downs have taken a more unusual approach by using their handicraft skills to share their concern about climate change with the community and send a warning message to local MP Andrew Griffith that the Government needs to do more and faster to protect our home from global warming.

Laurence Teillet from Fulking and group members have used their sewing skills to create a small handmade yellow canary each to gift to Andrew Griffith to urge him to use his position to push for stronger and faster action to tackle climate change locally, nationally and encourage our Government to act as bold hosts of this year’s UN climate change summit, known as COP26, taking place in Glasgow in November. This crucial meeting of world leaders will be an opportunity for the UK to be seen as leading the way in creating a cleaner and greener future for all.

The ‘Canary Craftivists’ as they’re known, even donned yellow canary outfits and spent time quietly creating their handmade canaries in public at the top of Devil’s Dyke in the South Downs.

The group have taken inspiration from yellow canaries because they are small and sensitive little birds yet in the past they quietly helped warn miners of dangerous pollution such as carbon monoxide with miners treating them as valuable colleagues not unkind enemies. In the same way the Craftivists hope that their little canaries and images of them sitting quietly in small ‘flocks’ in the local area will gently warn and help remind their MP and the Government about the urgent dangers of global warming and encourage them to take more and faster action to tackle this pressing issue.

The Craftivists believe climate campaigning doesn’t have to always be big, loud and disruptive to have impact and suggest that gentle and quiet craftivism (craft + activism) can play it’s part to show the widespread concern about climate change from diverse audiences including introverts, shy people and people who love to craft.

Laurence Teillet, the Craftivist Coordinator of this ‘flock’ happening on Devil’s Dyke said:

“ I have been visiting the South Downs for many years and I am now lucky to live in this beautiful part of the country which I love so much. This action is to gently remind people that our National Park is fragile like the rest of the planet. We need to tackle air pollution and global heating together now so we can boost our own well being, and leave a safer, cleaner and greener place for the future generations”.

The ‘Canary Craftivists’ campaign is part of a nationwide initiative run by the Craftivist Collective, who use handicrafts as a tool to do a form of quiet, kind and attractive activism that they call ‘gentle protest’.

This year the UK has a particularly important role to play to address climate change as it’s hosting the COP26 UN climate summit in November. This meeting, hosted and overseen by Boris Johnson and the UK Government, will be a key moment where world leaders negotiate how they will reduce emissions to protect the environment and stabilise the climate.

As the first country in the world to industrialise, the UK has pioneered and shaped the world as well as contributing to the creation of climate change. This year the UK Government has an important role in bringing world leaders together to agree a way forward that will help, not harm, the world.