It was a cold day in Colne as the skies darkened with approaching heavy snowfall, yet the lights shone bright and colourful inside Colne Muni on Monday 18th November where a warm-hearted event was unfolding.

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One hundred residents, students, business leaders, Councillors, and community organisers gathered together to explore and share their feelings about the rapid shift in global climate, and its impacts on communities in East Lancashire. In doing this, it was also very much about exploring what makes us stronger together in facing these changes in extreme weather events, food security, climate-induced migration and the intimately linked cost of living crisis, mental health epidemic, and the health impacts of living with polluted air and damp leaky homes. 

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While stepping into honest conversations about these things, of the injustice of them hitting the most vulnerable in our communities hardest, and of the intergenerational unfairness that surrounds them, might sound heavy, this is in fact every bit about warmth and connection. 

As winter draws in around us with its long nights, it’s the perfect time for such reflective and connective conversations. Facing the darker sides of what’s unfolding in our world, and in naming our outrage, sadness and fear connected to this, we simultaneously recognise the flame of our shared humanity to face it with care, courage and a strong sense of justice. It is from this place of connection and shared purpose that we will be able to navigate our way through these turbulent times. 

Throughout the day the lighting shifted as people shared their emotional responses to climate science and news stories from around the world, bringing a colour palette to our wide range of felt responses to these issues. There was space for intergenerational discussion around tables where the ‘Climate Fresk’ game was being played, and an open flow of conversation around the Talkaoke table (a pink donut of chat) inside the Pendle Head (a giant head created by a local artist Joe Hesketh, loosely inspired by the Inside-Out films).

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As you settle in for the winter, finding your place of warmth, perhaps joining with friends and family, this is an invitation to continue these conversations about how much we care about where we live, of our strong sense of justice that shows up when we see the unfairness in our world, and how naming our fears in these dark times takes courage. These are the lights we can shine on our way to finding collective and connective responses to the challenges we face at a global and local level.  

This playful yet serious event was part of an innovative collaboration between In-Situ, Climate Fresk facilitators, and The People Speak exploring a deep and slow approach to climate engagement that centres social justice and climate psychology, with community well-being and resilience at the heart of it all.

This work and these conversations will continue in 2025, keep an eye on the In-Situ website to find out more and get involved. 

Article by Tom Deacon (Climate Fresk) and Anna Taylor (In-Situ), November 2024