Great Big Green Week starts this weekend

Great Big Green Week, a programme of more than 50 environment-related events and activities, kicks off this Saturday (June 10).

The first events this weekend include a gardening session, a climate cafe, a talk on sustainable fashion and a chance to visit a pop-up farm in the heart of Battersea. 

Other highlights throughout the week include, seed bomb workshops, bat walks, book clubs and a wild scavenger hunt. There will also be an Idling Action event on Clean Air Day on June 15 at St Mary’s Church, Putney. Pick up info and freebies from air quality officers from 11am to 3pm.

Great Big Green Week is a national week of community action from 10 to 18 June to tackle climate change and protect nature.

Wandsworth Council has given out 38 Big Green Week grants to faith groups, businesses and residents to run events, and will be promoting those and all local activities throughout the week.

Judi Gasser, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We’re going all out in Wandsworth to put the big in Great Big Green Week. There’s loads of free activities that will be a fun way to engage with issues around climate change, air quality and biodiversity.

“We have set tough carbon reduction targets for Wandsworth, and we want to work with groups and communities all over the borough to achieve them. The Big Green Week activities give a taste of some of the fantastic work going to change minds and behaviours and to meet the climate change challenge.”

Big Green Week highlights include:

• Shallowford Farm, a Charitable Trust providing residential farming experiences for young people from inner city areas, will set up a five day pop-up farm at Providence House Youth Club. Schools will be invited to visit during the week, then the public can go along on June 10. Find out more.
• The Putney Society will be holding a Front Garden Award Scheme. Find out more
• CREW will be holding a Big Green Open Day including games and workshops at Smallwood School on June 10 from 11am-2pm. Just turn up.
• Libraries will be hosting Flower Power seed-bomb workshops and Modern Mining sessions where you can make items from discarded e-waste. Check your local library for details.
• Share a climate or nature related book at the Already Read Book Club at Roehampton Library, 10am-11.30am, June 16.
  Join the Big Wandsworth Litter Pick on June 12. Sign up
• Into the Forest will see a forest grow around the Home Café in Earlsfield made up of reused and reclaimed materials. Find out more
• Help create a piece of recycled art for the back of the Woodfield Pavilion. Go along on June 14 from 11am-4pm
• Use your phone at Roehampton’s Wild Scavender Hunt to capture local nature. Email jonathan.nobrega@wwt.org.uk
  Hear a talk from SW15 Hedgehogs. Email Friends@wandsworthcommon.org.
• Join Beautify Balham as they plant more flowers and plants in Bedford Hill on June 17. Email hello@beautifybalham.org
  The Doddington and Rollo Community Roof Garden will be holding gardening sessions. Email doddingtongarden@gmail.com
• The Big Putney Bike Ride will give people a chance to find out what it’s like to cycle around Wandsworth. Find out more
• Green the Grid and Southfields Restart Café: Bring your broken electricals to be fixed on June 17 from noon-3pm at St Barnabas Church Hall, SW18

This is just a taster of what’s going on. A full day-by-day list, including details of how to book, is available at wandsworth.gov.uk/GBGW and we will be posting information on Instagram and twitter throughout the week.