A few weeks ago I met with Anne Knight-Elliott and Miriam Frings, who were holding a 'Vigil for the Earth' to make a quiet stand for the climate in Cheltenham's Promenade. I interviewed them about their thoughts on the climate crisis, COP-26, and the primary aims of their vigil.
The COP-26 event had concluded. The BBC summarised the key agreements made at the summit, agreed by 100 countries -
Phase down coal usage.
Significantly increase money to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change and make the switch to clean energy.
100 countries, that have about 85% of Earth's forests, promised to stop deforestation by 2030.
A scheme to cut 30% of methane emissions by 2030.
How did Anne and Miriam feel about these results of COP-26, and their own vigil? I wanted to get back in touch with them, and we sent emails to one another after the event. I received some thought-provoking responses.
In her write-up after the vigil, Anne said that the event organisers and herself were 'driven by our love and grief for the Earth, the lives of our grandchildren and all the children of the world - we needed to stand and be counted.
'So, from 31st October to the 12th November, for the duration of COP 26, we, a small group of three grandmothers, sat or stood by a bench [in front of] the War Memorial in the Promenade for four hours a day.'
Anne also spoke about their methods of encouraging the public. 'We didn’t want to rage and shout and block roads. This had been already tried and, although with some limited success, we believed it frightened some and angered others. We were tired of drowning in the noise and the anger and the negative news. We wanted to offer positivity and support to the world, the world leaders and to the residents of Cheltenham.
'We would sit quietly, and hold a Vigil for the Earth. We decided we’d take responsibility for ourselves alone; we’d not be stressed by organisational problems; we wouldn’t worry who chose to come or who didn’t come. We’d be there in person, in peace, with hope, with sadness.'
Miriam shared her thoughts on how the vigil went, and whether they received the support they were after. 'We're so glad we did the vigil. It would have been good to have hundreds of people stopping by/ keeping vigil but it was never just about the numbers. We did it because we wanted to make a statement for Mother Earth. Otherwise, we did nothing - and that wasn't an option. So it went well! Lots of people did stop and support the vigil, write messages and talk about the climate emergency.
Miriam also speculated on the Glasgow summit. 'Are we pleased with the outcome of COP-26? Hmm, there are points of light in there. But so much more to do and there's a danger it'll slip down the news agenda (already happening). But we can all do our bit - we don't have to wait for governments to lead. Every individual can make his/her choices and it's our duty also to keep informed and keep governments (and councils) to their pledges.'
'whatever your political persuasion, we all need to work together facing the climate emergency - this is not a party thing, it affects all of the Earth’s inhabitants. We are in this together.'
Greta Thunberg, a well-known Swedish climate activist, had branded the COP-26 event as a "failure" and a "PR exercise". I asked Miriam for her thoughts on this - 'Greta's comments are probably true - it may not [have been] a resounding success from the point of view of what happened inside the venue. [However], speaking to someone who was up in Glasgow for the event, the energy and enthusiasm outside was amazing. So if nothing else it connected people and groups, and so many young people stepped up.
'I believe and hope that that energy won't dissipate. Glasgow City Council has, for example, pledged to make the centre of the city car-free within 5 years. So maybe it starts with a trickle, and a trickle becomes a flood.'
Anne wrote about the tapestry they created- 'the Earth was painted on by Lorraine - an amazing artist. It was stunning. By the end of the vigil, the beautiful world that Lorraine created on the backdrop was covered with our footsteps of hope, worries and aspirations. A powerful metaphor. These footprints are all to be sewn into a quilt which will be presented to Cheltenham Borough Council.'
I wondered whether Miriam felt encouraged by the locals' reaction to the vigil. 'It would have been good to have loads of people attending. Hundreds turned out for Remembrance Sunday (also held in Cheltenham) - and maybe people haven't made the connection that this is a new battle on a new front. And what sacrifices will this generation make for future generations?'
Anne wrote about the many different characters observed during their time at the vigil. 'Some came just for a brief visit, some for a long stint; some came to pray. In my mind, I can see a figure sitting on a chair in a sliver of sunshine by the road saying her rosary. Many were friends, some were part of faith groups, others from different political organisations.
'The Christian Climate group were a joy to be around - [there was] lots of banter and warmth, as if we had known each other for ages. One man in particular stands out in my mind - he must be at least six-foot-six, a large, engaging man with a cycle helmet firmly on his head. He was the first person who took it on himself to hand out the positive suggestion cards to passers by. He leapt and pirouetted into the air as he stretched across the pavement to catch cyclists or scooterists. None could refuse him and all smiled as they took the card he offered.'
However, there was a brief moment for Anne when it seemed some hope might have been trampled. 'Many people just passed us by, clutching their shopping bags or work cases. Some even scuttled quickly past making weird evasive loops to avoid us. One day, feeling a little despondent, I expressed my concern to the person next to me that we might be making little impact. But she said that she had noticed many people looking at the A-boards of information that we had put out, and believed that the message would be filtering through. Within about half an hour of her saying this, a passer-by called out, “thank you for being here!” And this similar message was repeated on other occasions. So maybe the softly-softly approach could be working.
'Who else joined us? Well, most were in their forties and above - they were people who were already concerned about the climate crisis. People who were friends and those we knew from different organisations such as the Green Party and 'Foodloose'.
Anne also reflected on how the vigil wasn't all silence. 'This wasn’t the quiet vigil which we had anticipated, people needed to chat, needed to talk about their concerns and their fears. We encountered two climate change deniers and one man who said as he passed that he had worked in the oil industry for all his life, but he could see MY problem. There were those who were concerned about vapour trail conspiracies and warnings of shape-shifting aliens. There were a few who believed it was too late to do anything.
'One person came on the bus from Tewkesbury on a couple of occasions just for a short while. Some told us about their family histories, which had influenced their need to be present - a grandfather who had helped Jewish families escape Germany during the Second World War; a father who was a vicar and a soil scientist who loved trees. Throughout the fortnight we all made so many new connections.
'For me, connectivity in the world is one of the most important things for or us all to realise. On the final day, Max Wilkinson, Council Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Alex Chalk, MP were able to join us briefly. Each of them wrote and pinned their own messages on the backcloth.'
Anne made an important point about how the crisis unites us all - 'whatever your political persuasion, we all need to work together facing the climate emergency - this is not a party thing, it affects all of the Earth’s inhabitants. We are in this together.'
Reflecting on the climate crisis and the positive message that Anne and Miriam were spreading reminded me of a proverb I was told when I was younger. I can't remember it exactly, but it's along the lines of this: a boy is throwing starfish into the ocean so they don't die out. Someone approaches him and asks, "why are you doing that? There's too many starfish, you won't be able to save them all." He responds, "No, but I made a difference to this one," he throws a starfish, "and this one." (and so forth). In short, whatever little things you do may not make a huge difference, but it will help somewhere along the line. It's even better, as Anne pointed out, when you can encourage others to do these little things with you, to make a greater impact.
Meeting Anne and Miriam and hearing their stories from the vigil made me feel encouraged. There may still be hope to turn the tide on potential disaster, starting with the people of Cheltenham. I remember well Anne and Miriam stressing the importance of my generation being the key group to make a difference to the climate crisis. I believe the spark needed to begin change, the energy and inspiration needed, is mostly present - it just needs to be put into positive actions and good deeds.
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