About Great Big Green week
The Great Big Green Week is the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.
Every year, people come together to unleash a wave of support for action to protect the planet. Tens of thousands of people in every corner of the country celebrate the heartfelt, brave, everyday actions being taken to stand up for nature and fight climate change.
In 2023, Great Big Green Week will take place between 10th and 18th June.
The first Great Big Green Week took place in September 2021, and was the largest event for climate and nature ever seen in the UK. Over 5,000 events celebrated how communities are taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces, and encouraged others to get involved too.
Communities came together once more in September 2022 to show how people everywhere are ready and willing to take action to tackle climate change. Over a quarter of a million people got involved, and national organisations, institutions, businesses and media outlets joined in, ultimately putting pressure on the government to up its game on climate change.
Great Big Green Week sees everything from litter picks to letter writing, festivals to football matches, seaweed foraging to school assemblies.
Events are hosted by teachers, bus drivers, sport clubs, artists, community groups, places of worship, libraries, builders – anyone who cares about climate change.
Local Green Weeks – Great Big Green Week community hubs – celebrate local activity, raise the profile of climate change and show why it is relevant to the community and local decision makers.
GReat big green week in bedford
Following on from the success of several previous Bedford Sustainability Week events taking place online in 2020/2021, Bedfordshire Climate Change Forum decided to take it further and run a Great Big Green Week in Bedford.
Cory Walker, who is the lead coordinator for the week got involved through the running of the previous Bedford sustainability week events, is a Community Lead for Plastic Free Bedford, Coordinator for Refill Bedford, Regional Rep for Surfers Against Sewage (Amongst a lot of other environment work!)
So in September 2021, we got together to organise the first of many Great Big Green Weeks here in Bedford.
We did not have much time to prepare, however we had a fantastic schedule of over 20 different events and activity related to tackling climate change or other key environmental issues. 2021 was a big year due to the COP26 summit which took place after GBGW.
Events we had in 2021 include:
- Wellbeing Walks
- Litter Picks
- Climate Coffee Morning (Which our local MP attended)
- Talk about food waste
- Talk about COP26
- Plant Sales
- And much more!
Great Big Green Week returned for 2022 from Saturday 24th September until Sunday 2nd October, and in Bedford , we had over 30 events and activities taking place throughout the week.
Events we had in 2022 include:
- Dr Bike Sessions
- Green Fun Palaces
- Book/Plant/Seed Swaps
- Litter Picks
- Plant Swaps
- Coffee Morning
- Talks
- Seed/Plant Giveaways – part of the Flower Flash that started the week off
The 2022 Great Big Green Week in Bedford was a huge success! We managed to get some coverage of the events taking place on Bedford Radio, BBC Three Counties Radio , Greatest Hits Radio , BBC Look East , Bedford Independent, Explore Bedford, and much more!
GBGW 2023
Great Big Green Week is returning in 2023 from Saturday 10th until Sunday 18th June, and once again in Bedford, we are looking to organise another week of action, activities and events. Great Big Green Week in 2023 will be jointly organised by Bedfordshire Climate Change Forum and Friends Of The Earth Bedford.
We hope to have lots of events once again, some familiar ones as well as new events that reinvent the wheel a bit and reach new people.
We are a small team of environmental activists wanting to draw attention to the dawning realisation that humanity is on the brink of fighting for our very lives due to the climate emergency.
Please join us for a week of environmental education and find out how you can help people and the planet survive.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at any of the events that have been organised for the week whether that be online or in the town centre.
Details about how to get involved will be available very soon!
Friends Of The Earth Bedford (Opens Website)
Great Big Green Week Bedford – Main website for all information and event listings
GBGW Bedford In Numbers – 2023
– Offer from local businesses
3 Events and activities taking place throughout the week
Event SChedule
A mixture of talks, workshops, film screenings and much more. Check out what we have on during the week!
Get involved
Are you a school/business/organisation or individual wanting to get involved in Great Big Green Week Bedford?
Participants 2023 (7)
- Bedfordshire Climate Change Forum
- Friends Of The Earth Bedford
- Refill Bedford
- Plastic Free Bedford
- Hay Lane
- The Higgins Bedford
- Riverfield Residents Association
Bedfordshire Climate Change Forum 