Swindon Climate Action Network, working to inform people in Swindon and the surrounding areas about the problem of climate change and how to combat it.

Swindon Cycle Festival

28th June was the Swindon Cycle Festival, held at Lydiard Park. SCAN was present with a stall, as were Sustrans, MB Swindon and CTC, but the highlight of the day was the opportunity to try out all manner of pedal-powered vehicles.

Some of these were more practical than others!

Read the full story and see more photos

Ask the Climate Question

In the General Election, on May 6th, both Swindon seats changed from Labour to Conservative, with Swindon South still being the most marginal.  SCAN is looking forward to working with our new Parliamentary representatives, Justin Tomlinson in Swindon North and Robert Buckland in Swindon South.  We may even have contact with the new Energy & Climate Change minister, Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne.

On the run-up to the election a group of non-government organisations (which includes Oxfam, Greenpeace and RSPB) got together to campaign in the 50 most marginal constituencies (incluin Swindon South) to get the subject of climate change onto the political agenda at the election.  The campaign is called 'Ask the Climate Question' and was ad in Swindon South by WWF, supported by SCAN.  A 'Climate Change Question Time' event was held Thursday 29th April when about 40 people questioned the prospective candidates.

On Tuesday 27th April Wiltshire Wildlife Trust performed street theatre in Swindon town centre to publicise the Question Time event and to Ask the Climate Question.  This was covered in the Adver.

It needs to be stated that SCAN has no political affiliations - we work with politicians of all parties to address the issue of climate change.

SCAN members were invited to meet Ed Miliband, who was then Energy & Climate Change minister, when he visited Swindon on Friday 30th April.  Several of our members were able to go along at short notice.  It is a sign of our effectiveness that we get invited along to these meetings and as a group we look forward to working with Swindon's new MPs and will try to engage with the new Government.

The elections for one third of Swindon Borough Council on May 6th made little difference to the large Conservative majority and SCAN will continue to work with them when the opportunity arises.

Climate change is seen as the biggest single threat to human life by all environmental charities and development agencies, but it is highly likely that politicians will continue to ignore it for the election as it requires too many difficult decisions.  So this campaign is trying to change this and is calling on individuals to raise the issue with politicians, in person, in letters to the press, in emails and by writing letters.  The challenge is for us to 'Ask the Climate Question'.