THE WORLD’S longest, non-stop relay is being attempted in the name of climate action – and it is set to pass through South Warwickshire.
The Running Out of Time relay will be passing through the area on Tuesday October 4 as part of a mammoth journey from Glasgow – the home of COP26 last year – to Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt for the start of COP27 where world leaders are meeting on November 6.
Runners, cyclists and sailors will carry a baton containing a climate message that will be delivered to world leaders urging more support to help people tackle the climate crisis where they live.
The baton will be carried in five to 10km stages by everyone from youngsters to Presidents, crossing seas, mountain ranges, glaciers, deserts, villagers and capital cities.
It will visit hundreds of schools, at-risk locations and climate change projects to inspire and champion climate actions.
One of these projects is Plastic Free Leamington and Warwick.
The project has brought together individuals, schools and businesses to find ways to tackle avoidable, single-use plastic.
The group helps everyone to find alternatives to single-use plastic and they campaign for policy changes. They’ve been awarded plastic-free champion status by Surfers Against Sewage and are an example of some 870 communities in the UK that have also signed up to get rid of single-use plastic.
At the same time, runners will be fundraising for the Foundation for Environmental Education’s Global Forest Fund and Carbon Copy.
The baton will visit Kenilworth Castle at 4.35pm on Tuesday October 4 and Warwick Castle and the plastic free community at 5.35pm, before passing by The Boars Head in Hampton Lucy at 6.45pm and crossing Lucy’s Mill Bridge in Stratford at 7.40pm.
Ric Casale, Co Founder of Carbon Copy, said: “Carbon Copy is delighted to team up with One Run for this extraordinary event. The relay is so symbolic of the ambition and collaboration we wish to see at COP27, and that we already see in the people working together locally to address the biodiversity and climate crises.
“This relay will also be a common thread that links thousands of inspiring climate action stories, showcasing leadership at all levels and encouraging more people to join in by doing something similar. Collective local climate action is having an impact globally, and we look forward to taking these stories to COP27 and sharing them with governments from around the world.”
For more information visit www.running-out-of-time.com
