Fundraising to restore College Green exceeds target after Greta Thunberg's Bristol climate strike
A fundraising page set up to repair College Green in Bristol after Greta Thunberg's appearance at a youth strike has exceeded it's target £20,000 target.
The campaign was set up after thousands of people gathered in the rain in February (2020) to hear Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speak about the need to take action against climate change.
15,000 people joined the rally and left the once grassy green covered in mud.
Jon Usher from Bristol set up the page and urged everyone who attended the climate rally to donate £1 to restore the patch of grass outside City Hall.
He used the hashtag #TurnCollegeGreenGreenAgain on social media to spread his campaign. It initially raised £15,000 in the space of five days.
£10,000 was separately donated by green energy company Good Energy, helping to exceed the target.
The cost to repair any damage to the land would have fallen to Bristol City Council, but the funds raised through the College Green campaign will now pay for any repairs needed.
All additional funds raised will go towards re-creating the space to support wildlife and increase biodiversity, as well as provide future support for the youth climate movement.
Bristol was the first city in the UK to declare a climate emergency in 2018, as well as an ecological emergency in 2020.
The Bristol and Bath Parks Foundation will be in charge of how the money is spent.