Hundreds of visitors to Darlington town centre learned about all things sustainable at an Eco Fair held in the Market Square at the weekend.
A giant marquee hosted most of the exhibitors at an event which marked the start of national Great Big Green Week (GBGW) and drew in crowds young and old.
Other displays and children’s entertainment were held outside and across the town as the warm June weather brought out crowds who were shown ways they could swap towards more climate-friendly ways of living.
The chance to try sustainable arts and crafts for free and find out more about living a greener life proved popular, while, a willow sculpture activity trail led young eco explorers to lots more free activities across the town centre.
The Fair provided a chance for local and regional eco producers to, literally, set their stalls out in the Market Square with information and products including award-winning Acorn Dairy, CPRE County Durham, the countryside charity, the Tees Rivers Trust and Science Buddies.
The fair was organised and run by Darlington Borough Council, which has committed to going carbon neutral by 2040, and marked the start of Great Big Green Week, which celebrates community action across the UK being taken to tackle climate change and protect nature.
More than 4,500 events have been arranged across the country with more than quarter-of-a-million people expected to take part.
The theme of GBGW this year is swapping and there was plenty of evidence of swapping happening at the Eco Fair, be it swapping one product for another or one lifestyle for a more sustainable one.
Visitors could find out about saving energy, saving money and living more sustainably thanks to Teesside Cloth Nappy Library, National Energy Foundation, Darlington Credit Union and Darlington Association on Disability.
The County Durham branch of CPRE, the Countryside Charity, was among those exhibiting for the first time and who insisted they would be back next year.
Andrew Thompson, chair of the Durham branch, said: “Our charity acts as the voice of the countryside and has been around for coming up to 100 years but this is the first time we’ve put our message out at the Eco Fair and it was a great way to get it across to the public.
“We had dozens of people showing interest in our work and many signed up to get involved in actively seeking to protect the countryside they love from unwanted development.”
The event attracted major organisations like the Tees Valley Rivers Trust and Durham Wildlife Trust down to sole traders like Delightfully Denim, run by Sarah Ball from Sunderland.
She said: “I was surprised by how many people came along to the Fair and how much interest they showed.
“My work involves simply recycling denim - it’s as simple as that, making things like cushions, bags and coasters out of clothes that even the charity shops wouldn’t touch - but it’s an attractive idea because it’s such a strong material and can often be repurposed.
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“But it was great to see how many other stall holders were also offering interesting ways for people to cut down on waste and live more sustainable lives by simply making one or two swaps in lifestyle.”
If you want to find a Great Big Green Week event near you, you can search locally on the GBGW website here.
The week is part of a month of activities organised by The Climate Coalition, which is calling on all political parties to commit to cutting emissions, restore nature and support the hardest hit at home and around the world.
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