DEVOTED members of Worcester Cathedral’s Eco Team were delighted when more than 6,000 eco-minded visitors attended its second annual Big Green Eco Family Fair.
Part of the Cathedral Eco Group’s ‘Living Gently on the Earth’ series – free events, funded by the National Lottery, that aim to help us learn how to live more gently on the earth – The Big Green Eco Fair launched last October, to a positive response, and has grown in popularity.
This year’s event was officially opened by Worcester Cathedral’s Youth Choir in the Chapter House, with many different green groups joining forces to demonstrate the importance of taking care of our planet and of valuing the precious nature which sustains us.
There were gardening groups with apple pressing, potted plants and cuttings, wildflower bouquets, wood whittling, fruit and veg, children’s activities with campfire storytelling and craft workshops.
There were also edible and medicinal plant foraging tours in the Cathedral grounds, with a repair café, waste reduction advice and energy saving experts on hand.
These were all joined by numerous environmental campaigning and special interest nature groups such as Greenpeace and RSPB to name just a couple.
The main crowd-pulling star of the show however was the ‘Worth the Weight’ vintage clothes sale in College Hall.
Based in Sheffield, ‘Worth the Weight’ was founded in 2018 as a way of fighting fast fashion. The team travels the length and breadth of the country selling tonnes of quality vintage stock every weekend.
Lay Canon and Eco Group Member, Staffan Engstrom, said: “We were stunned and delighted to welcome 6,000 or more people, with 5,500 recorded through the Cathedral’s main entrance and many more directly through College Hall.
Interim Dean of Worcester, Stephen Edwards, said: “Worcester Cathedral declared a Climate and Environmental Emergency two years ago, proclaiming that we care for this world, and want to help to make sure that it is treasured for future generations.
“For this reason, we are so pleased to play our role in enabling events like these.”
