We are very pleased to announce that the former COP 26 group in Crediton is now part of Sustainable Crediton and called the Climate Action Team. COP 26, as its name implies, was named after the COP 26 international climate conference in Glasgow in November 2021.

However, the movement in Crediton started well before that with a proposal from Crediton XR to Crediton Town Council for a Citizen's Assembly be held in Crediton to find out what Kirtonians would like to see happen in and around the town in the context of the climate and biodiversity emergencies.

Covid lockdowns delayed this assembly from March 2020 until November 2021 when amongst other events a 'Community Conversation' was held at the Boniface Centre attended by 60+ people. To inform attendees expert speakers were invited to talk about three subjects; Land use, food security and economics; Agriculture and Biodiversity; Transport. Attendees then formed into groups and came up with their ideas of what should happen in and around Crediton to tackle these twin crises. At the end of the assembly there was a vote using coloured dots on boards, creating a visual picture of where Crediton's people wanted actions to happen on their behalf.

An action team was formed to try to implement what the people wanted, originally called Crediton COP26 group and now renamed the Climate Action Team as explained above.

The Team has been working hard to help our local area mitigate the effects of the twin emergencies we are now in, with particular emphasis on those areas discussed at the assembly. These include, active travel and public transport (both reducing car use), pushing hard for the commencement of the Boniface Trail cycle route to Exeter, making better known, and encouraging car sharing schemes, lobbying for improved standards for domestic housing energy efficiency and on major planning issues in and around our town. Initiatives begun as a direct result of the assembly are the Crediton Churchyard Wilding, Crediton becoming a testing area for the proposed national Land Use Framework, working on a wildlife corridor in Crediton and in the early part of plans to massively increase the biodiversity within our green spaces making them happier, healthier and more beautiful places. The group has also been involved in the Crediton Town Council's Neighbourhood Plan and more widely Devon County and Mid Devon's Climate Emergency declarations.

Alan Murray (with help from Dave Harris)