Transition Culture

11 Dec 2007

Cornish Transitioners Take to Their Bikes to Raise Awareness About Climate Change.

**Cornwall Climate Change Bike/Bus/Train Relay for Transition on 8th December 2007. Climate Change Action Day.**

Anyone who was on a bike or waiting for a bus or train on Saturday could not doubt the effects of Climate Change, as a group of dedicated people carried messages from Mayors across Cornwall to Truro supporting Global actions to help the planet, and highlight the work of Transition Towns. On what was called by a Cornish weatherman ‘the worst weekend of the year,’ two cyclists from Penzance started from the Guild Hall at 10:00am and travelled to Helston, where at 12:00pm they passed the message from their Mayor and Mock Mayor to the Mayor of Helston, who adding his letter handed them on to 3 cyclists setting off for Falmouth.

*Mayor of Falmouth with Cyclists on The Moor at 2:00pm.*

The mayor of Falmouth at 2:00pm met the 3 cyclists and included his message for the 4 new cyclists, who on the way to Truro were joined by two others and all arrived to join with the celebrations at 4:00pm, as the Mayor of Truro added the final letter.

*Signing the final letter in Truro at 4:00pm*

Also at 10:00am farther up the county in Saltash two tandem riders set off to ride to Liskeard with a letter from their Mayor. Unfortunately the weather confounded their efforts to link with Truro but it is to be delivered to London by their MP.

*Saltash: l-r: Colin Riches (Transition Saltash), Colin Breed MP, SECornwall (lives locally, walked to Guildhall). Mayor Bob Austin, Roger Creagh Osborne, (Transition Caradon networker). 10:00 am*

At 12:00am a father and his 4 year old son left from Looe Guildhall with the Mayor’s message and travelled the Looe/Liskeard branch line where they met with the letter from the Liskeard Mayor.

*The Mayor of Looe with Bill and Nattie. 12:00am.*

*Bill, Nattie and Roger Holmes (Liskeard town Cllr)*

All the letters were then taken on the train to Lostwithiel where the Mayor passed his message on to the new courier travelling the train to St Austell. The cyclist who collected the letters then battled the winds down to Truro and met up with another cyclist from St Stephens.

Some intrepid supporters from Trelay Farm, Bude intended to cycle and bus down to Lostwithiel but the weather again took its toll, so they used the bus to Bodmin through Wadebridge, where an intermediary took their message across to Bodmin train station and passed the message onto the train courier for Lostwithiel.

*Ben in Bodmin passing the letter to Arwen and Milo taking it to Bodmin train.*

Many supporters, including two ‘funky angels’, used bus and train to join the cyclists in Truro and all felt they had made a stand with all the other cities of the world on Climate Change Action Day and thoroughly enjoyed linking the Transition Towns in Cornwall.

All the messages are to be delivered by a local MP to Hilary Benn MP who is attending the World Conference in Bali.

Couriers included:
*Jim Candy, Ben Oubridge, Julie Tamblin, Lindley Owen, Ali Law, Matt Trevaskis, John Marshall, Alastair Cameron, Judith… Cheryl Marriott, Mark Nicholson, Euan Mahy, Oliver Baines, Colin Riches, Adam Killeya, Arwen Folkes, Bill and Nattie Knight, Roger Holmes, Mick Ruhland etc*

For more information lorely@transitionfalmouth.org.uk or 01326 317587