MORE than a dozen climate and environmental groups will lobby the Chippenham area board meeting next week.

The action is aimed at encouraging people at a local level to get involved, and come up with ideas to help the planet. The Area Board meeting will begin in the Refectory at Sheldon School, with a keynote speech by Councillor Richard Clewer, a Wiltshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for Climate Change. All attending will then be invited to participate in an informal small group workshop aiming to identify what people think are the main actions and policy leads local government should take, how these can be supported in the community, and which should take most urgent priority.

"We want to take a positive look at what can be done," said Amy Davies from Zero Chippenham. "There will be a workshop after the meeting where we want to get people's ideas and views as to what the council could to do improve what it does from an environmental perspective."

Organisations already committed to attend are: Zero Chippenham, Extinction Rebellion, MAD about Waste, National Farmers Union, North Wilts Friends of the Earth, Waste Not Want Not, Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, Wiltshire Scrapstore and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

The climate and environment theme was due to be echoed in Marlborough last night (Wednesday). Communities Prepared were heading up talks on community resilience to floods and severe weather emergencies in conjunction with the Environment Agency and the Town Council. Communities Prepared is led by the community charity Groundwork with backing from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Reaching Communities programme and additional support from The Prince’s Countryside Fund and SSEN.