On The Road, With Carbon Copy

Six Walk2COP26 walkers are setting off from London tomorrow morning – on the start of their incredible 510 mile journey to Glasgow ahead of the much-anticipated COP26 summit.

Along the way, they will be engaging with community members, local councils and businesses – spreading the word about the climate crisis, and what they can do to help tackle it.

Joining them at various places along the route, the Carbon Copy team will be exploring climate action happening in local areas, as well as taking part in some of the walk itself.

Here, the team explain what they are looking forward to most:

Yasmin Redfern, Social Media Lead

“I’m super excited to be joining the Walk2COP26 climate walkers as they step out from Camden! It’s a brilliant campaign to raise awareness of local climate stories which are taking place across the UK. Think & Do Camden are the first local initiative we’ll be celebrating who are helping to mobilise residents to reduce their carbon footprints with a focus on social and ecological justice. They’re a great organisation that run a wide range of projects like running multiple swap shops, educating residents to reuse and upcycle, which feeds into the circular economy.”

Izzy Sparrow, Chief Storyteller

“Walk2COP26 has given us a new way of discovering climate stories. The route takes us through areas of the country that are less populated, and perhaps less well-recognised in terms of the environmental and climate action that is taking place there. One of these areas is Harborough, South Leicestershire, where I’ll be joining the walk. I’ve been really impressed with the number of initiatives I have found, in Market Harborough alone, and I’m looking forward to checking some of them out in person. 

“When you start to investigate these smaller communities, you learn that dedicated groups of people are making a difference everywhere. Where I live, in Wymondham, South Norfolk, there’s a great group called Greening Wymondham, who are doing important things to improve and protect natural spaces in our small market town.”

Heather Allen, Trustee

“I am looking forward to following the team’s progress, particularly their conversations along the way. There is a lot of local energy on climate action and I do hope that Walk2COP26 can shine a light on the incredible work happening in communities. My plan is to join them for their event in Morecambe and the following day join the 20 mile walk from Sedburgh to Shap. At that point they will have walked over 300 miles, hopefully I will be able to keep up! The Walk2COP26 team has put in a lot of preparation and I wish them success with every step.”

Ellie Ellwood, Story Researcher

“Our climate and biodiversity are in crisis, and the effects are already devastating. We’re fortunate enough in the UK not to have borne the brunt of it thus far, but that’s no excuse not to act. We also need to balance the urgency with inspiring people to act, because there is hope, and that’s where local action comes in. Our small changes add up, and when we take those changes to our work, school, businesses we engage with and our local councils, we make a real difference. The Walk2COP26 is an exciting and eye-catching way to show leaders that we want – and desperately need – change.

“I’ll be joining the walk at Carlisle as it’s somewhere I’ve never been. It’s a bit further along the route and an opportunity to explore. I’m looking forward to meeting and hearing about local projects and sharing their stories.”

Andy Knott, Trustee

“A small group of dedicated people walking 500 miles from London to Glasgow is a great metaphor for our climate and biodiversity challenges.

“First there’s the walk itself – a long and demanding but absolutely do-able journey, with a known start and finish. Here’s a small team planning and working together to make a really big thing happen. They’ll be traversing many different paths that join up to make one clear track. There will be hills and valleys, but no unclimbable mountains. They’ll meet many people along the way, sharing their experiences and exchanging ideas to accelerate climate and biodiversity action.

“I’m going up by train to join the walk from Strathaven to Glasgow – the last day. I imagine the city will be really buzzing!  It could hardly be more different than the tiny Somerset village where I live.  Yet there’s loads of activity around me, such as Grow Batheaston and the Bath Landscape Partnership, collaborating to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.”

And finally, a word from Ric who is walking the entire distance:

Ric Casale, Trustee

“I’m so glad that the rest of the Carbon Copy team will be joining me for different stages of the walk. Everyone has put a lot of effort into this walk already and have found some exciting ways to bring even more climate initiatives to life. Together, we are really looking forward to sharing our journey with you!”

You can follow the progress of Walk2COP26 via our social media channels – find us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook. We’ll also be sending regular updates in our newsletter – sign up here.

Photo by Emma Van Sant on Unsplash