North Tyneside climate action banner to be taken to Glasgow COP26 summit

A banner, made by the community in North Tyneside, is set to travel to Glasgow for next month's COP26 climate summit.It features nearly 40 circles, made by people as young as six and as old as eighty, each carrying a message of environmental action.It was devised by Jackie Sewell, a local artist and owner of zero-waste shop Buy the Kilo at Tynemouth Station.She says the purpose “is to highlight the issues and how people are feeling. Because COP26 is a really important conference, for the country and the world.“I think, even though we've had all of these conversations about this, it's about putting them into reality - and into a circle.”The banner was launched at Tynemouth Market on Saturday with a special performance by the all-female North Tyneside choir Innocent Bystanders.Gilly Love, the group’s leader, said they decided to support the project because “COP26 is one of the most important things that's happening at the moment.“We can't all go to Glasgow,” she added, “so we thought by highlighting the promotion of this banner it would be a good way to start.”

The banner was devised by Jackie Sewell, a local artist and owner of zero-waste shop Buy the Kilo at Tynemouth Station. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Among those to have stitched a circle is Cllr Sandra Graham, the cabinet member responsible for environmental issues on North Tyneside Council.She said, “it's massively important that we all play our part and do our bit, because this affects everybody. And we're being told by young people that we need to do this and we, as the older generation, need to up our game.”The banner is on display in Tynemouth’s Buy the Kilo before being taken up to Glasgow for the climate summit.