We’re two weeks away from the Big One. Happening on 21 to 24 April around the houses of Parliament in London.
It’s going to be an inclusive, collaborative event where we’ve invited loads of other climate-focused organisations to join us at protesting the climate emergency. And many of them have stepped up to stand alongside us.
Everyone is needed. The focus is on encouraging others to get involved over large arrestable spaces.
This action weekend includes Earth Day and the London Marathon and has been organised with cooperation from both the London Marathon organisers and the police.
If you’re feeling out of the loop. Now is a great time to get involved. This will be the last news roundup before a group of us from Stroud head over to join our fellow rebels in London.
Our big one planning meeting is on Wednesday 12 April
There’s a group of us planning to go to London from Stroud. We’ll be organising where we meet, what our plans are and how to find one another at our upcoming meeting .
Like to come with us? Let us know by coming to our next meeting on Wednesday 12 April at 7pm at The Ale House in Stroud.
There are also Stroudies going to London from our local Greenpeace group and Stroud Red Band among others. More help is needed if you can spare any time.
What’s happening in London?
If you haven’t been receiving information from XR national. Here’s how to find out more about the plans for the big one. How to get involved and what’s happening on each day.
Hope this email finds you well. This week I have some more information on the upcoming action in London from April 21, plus info on our next Stroud meeting on March 1.
The Big One in April
Did you know that we’re planning our largest action yet? We’re planning The Big One in London asking for 100,000 rebels to come to parliament from 21 April.
If you have some spare time (or can take the time off work). You’re most needed on the four days from April 21 to April 24, which includes a Friday weekend and Parliament sitting on Monday. This is also the weekend of the London Marathon and we’re working closely with organisers.
The aim is to get a large cross section of different environmental groups (not just from XR) to come together in a joint approach. We’ll be hosting the space for everyone else to join in.
Volunteers are also needed for the four days before and after this focused action to help prepare, and pack away. We’ll have an active presence in London for 12 days total.
Transport
Cheltenham XR are running a coach from Cheltenham on Saturday 22 April and returning same day and also stopping in Cirencester for £20 return with option to overpay to help subsidise or pay less if needed.
There’s a group of us planning to go to London from Stroud. Like to come with us? Let us know by coming to our next meeting on Wednesday 1 March at 7pm at The Ale House in Stroud.
We’ll be meeting fortnightly at The Ale House every Wednesday at 7pm going forward too.
Can’t make it? Let us know if you’d like to get involved in some way and how we can support you.
Are you looking for a way to share your views on the climate emergency? It doesn’t look like things are going to improve with this new government, so it’s up to us to remind the people in power what the problems are and what we can do about them.
Change is now
The XR bus tour comes to Stroud next week and will be parked at Wallbridge, Stroud on Monday 26 Septemberfrom 10am for the whole day.
Stroud is just one of the stops planned on a long route around the nations towns and cities raising awareness of the climate emergency and other issues. The idea is to listen to what people in the street are saying around this, the cost of living crisis and other topics.
It’s an outreach opportunity and it’s a great time to get back in touch with XR if you’ve been meaning to.
Plan for the day
Times and content are subject to change.
🚌 10am – bus arrives, stalls setup and pink table
🍀 10:45 – outreach around town with leaflets with music
📣 11am – Guests including, Dale Vince, Green Party, Lib Dems & Labour Party
🥙 1pm – lunch and refreshments
🏫 2:45pm – Youth assembly tour
💃 5pm – evening sessions start at Wallbridge
🎙 5:30pm – peoples assembly
✨ 7:30pm – event finishes
Can you make it?
Please come along support, engage and tell us your thoughts and plans for the future! There will be music, printing, food and stalls. Please also share with anyone you think may be interested.
Do also let us know if you’d like to be involved too, we appreciate any time you can offer.
The UK bus tour is comprised of three buses travelling around the country for a month to engage with communities about the big issues whether local or global.
One bus will be coming to Wallbridge, Stroud on Monday 26 September (exact timings to be confirmed).
Stroud is just one of the stops planned on a long route around the nations towns and cities raising awareness of the climate emergency and other issues. The idea is to listen to what people in the street are saying around this and other topics. This is what democracy looks like.
The bus will be will us for the day, touring around key areas around the town such as the town centre, leisure centre etc.
Please come along support, engage and tell us your thoughts and plans for the future! There will be music, printing, food and stalls. Please also share with anyone you think may be interested.
Do also let us know if you’d like to be involved too, we appreciate any time you can offer.
Even 12 months ago, before the cost of living crisis, many were already having to choose between heating and eating and many thousands suffered cold lonely deaths in homes they couldn’t keep warm. The cost of living crisis has made the situation many, many times worse and it is now universally recognised that we need to Insulate Britain!
Five people from Gloucestershire took part in the Insulate Britain campaign even though they knew they would face legal consequences! They are ordinary people who recognised a huge injustice and stepped forward to demand it stop and now face costs that could total over £50,000. Don’t let Steve, Marguerite, Val, Nat and Andrew pay the price on their own, please donate what you can.
We are back meeting weekly – now indoors as it gets colder. You can find us every Wednesday evening at Curio Lounge in Stroud at 7pm. All our meeting times are on our website.
Lots to update you on this week. I’ve ordered events in date order.
Join the XR Bristol summer uprising – this Saturday 30 July – including travel info with train strikes
We demand: ⛔️ Stop Airport Expansion 🚎 Fair Fares for Everyone 🚄 Public Ownership of Public Transport
We will meet at Queens Square, Bristol at 10am, to hear speakers and will have a presence there all day. At around 12pm a march will leave Queens Square to walk around Bristol, pausing at key sites for speeches and activities concerning our campaign. The day will end with a range of ‘low spice’ action. We will have a social from 6.00 at The Avon Packet, Coronation Road, BS3 1RF, with free food.
If you live outside Bristol and need help with the cost of travel, you can claim up to £25 by emailing finance.xrbristol@protonmail.com with your name, bank details, the amount of money you are claiming and a photo of your travel receipt(s). If you need the money up front you can claim the money in advance and send the receipt later.
Train travel & supporting ASLEF with UX Unions
ASLEF will have a picket at Temple Meads station on Saturday. They are glad that we are demanding public ownership of public transport and fair fares, so they welcome our action. They are happy for our march to pass their picket line to hear speakers outside the station, one of whom will be Theo Simon (XR Unions).
XR Stroud next meeting date
We are meeting fortnightly at the seating area in Stratford Park on Wednesdays at 7pm. Our next meeting is on Wednesday 10 August.Here’s how to find us.
Sheepscombe community climate event – 31 August
There is a Community Climate Event being planned for Wednesday 31 August at the Village Hall, Sheepscombe at 7:30pm. The evening will have a communal meal followed by talks, one of which will be Sarah Lunnon talking on the theme Councillor to Activist. As well as other talks.
This will be a regenerative evening – open to all climate-minded people not necessarily just XR. Everyone is welcome.
Save the date – September rebellion starting 10 September
In September we plan to come together under three powerful, achievable objectives:
1) Make mobilisation fun, rewarding and a focus for everyone in the movement 2) Make Citizens’ Assemblies relevant and inspiring for all 3) Grow XR in numbers and develop our vision for the future.
Done in three phases:
Phase 1: Pre-Sept 10: actions focusing on Citizens’ Assemblies and demanding a response from the government.
Phase 2: Sat 10 to the morning of Tues 13: 3 days of a resistance festival in London. Inclusive, radical and visionary – open to all.
🚌 Phase 3: 🚌 The Magical Mystery Tour begins! We launch our bus tour of the country, exchanging energy, ideas, support and building momentum as we invite people to join us in resistance with a clear call to action.
Phase 4: (October) An invitation to come back together and hopefully to work with other movements to send a loud message to the government – we will not be divided, and together we are building The Opposition.
🚌 Ideas needed from you for our magical mystery bus tour 🚌
As mentioned in phase 3 of the September rebellion above the XR climate bus tour will go around major towns and cities in the UK, and we’d like it to come to Gloucestershire, so we need your ideas for entertainment and activities that we can run from the bus to raise awareness of the climate emergency in Gloucestershire.
One idea we talked about in our most recent meeting was to run a bus event in Cheltenham using a lot of the fun science demos and activities developed for the Science festival to do outreach. Perhaps with a samba band and a critical mass bike ride on tow.
The bus could stay with us for anything from an afternoon to up to two days depending on what we plan.
We need to put a plan together so we can put in a request to get added to the intinary, while there are no dates – yet – send your ideas in.
