SCHOOLCHILDREN joined with activists and members of three political parties at a climate strike event outside Skipton Town Hall on Friday.

Protesters also gathered in Settle as part of the worldwide event aimed at raising awareness of the global climate emergency and to coincide with the start of the UN climate talks in Spain and ahead of the UK General Election on Thursday, December 12.

Children with placards and banners, and carrying a plastic dragon, made by members of Extinction Rebellion and Plastic Free Skipton for the recent Skipton Puppet Festival, gathered outside the town hall where they heard eight year old Tilly make a heartfelt plea for the world to make a better job of looking after the planet.

Those who attended were also given labels to write slogans on and to attach to the Christmas tree outside the town hall.

Katie Birks, of Plastic Free Skipton, said: “Children spoke out about the need to save the planet for their futures while The Skipton and Craven Extinction Rebellion Group offered labels to protestors to write climate change statements and tie to the Christmas tree.”

The first climate strike event, at the end of September, saw seven million people take part across the world.

Last month, almost 100 people attended an election hustings in Settle Victoria Hall centred on climate change and the need for the world to address it as a matter of urgency.

Organised by Action on Climate Emergency (ACE) Settle and Area, the hustings was attended by parliamentary candidates, Andy Brown, Green; Brian McDaid, Labour; Andrew Murday, Liberal Democrat; and Jack Render, Yorkshire Party. Conservative candidate, Julian Smith, who had a prior engagement, was represented by Settle councillor David Staveley.

Tess McMahon ACE group member said: “People came to listen to and ask questions of the politicians who want to represent them. Political parties can now have confidence that increasing numbers of voters will vote for those who seriously commit to measures - short and longer term - tackling climate emergency. The talk, which followed the hustings, illustrated that lots of the things that we can do are fun, healthy and even save us money.”