Packed Full Week of Environment Activities for Great Big Green Week

A full week of environmentally green activities is programmed for Henley’s residents to enjoy during Great Big Green Week this year starting on Saturday 10 to 18 June, with lots of different sectors of the community coming together to show how Henley is taking action to tackle climate change and protect nature.

Greener Henley’s Great Big Green Week organiser, Diana Barnett said: “Following on from the tremendous success of last year, Greener Henley are teaming up with Henley Town Council and a host of local groups to put on a week long series of events under the banner ‘Henley’s Great Big Green Week’ – a true community effort in the making!”

Greener Henley’s activities have something to suit everyone including a Green Fair in the Town Hall on 10 June, with a host of green stalls and fun activities where you can come chat about biodiversity, from bats and toads to trees and bees, the town’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and lots more. There will be a gallery showing artwork by local schoolchildren plus poems from our Greener Poetry Competition.  Kids can enjoy felt-making, and crafting insects throughout the day. Jo from Honeys of Henley will be giving a talk on bees 11-12pm, and they’re teaming up with Pavillion Foods for ‘Plant vs Beef Taste Test: Which Burger’s Best?’ – come along and tickle your taste buds!

On Sunday 11 June local churches are dedicating services to the environment, and Badgemore School Gardening Club are opening up their grounds for a family-friendly scavenger hunt. On 12 June green-fingered folk can get involved in the conversation around wildlife-friendly gardening techniques and how we can better support local biodiversity at our ‘Green Gardeners’ Question Time‘ event. The week also sees GH’s Wildlife Group with two daytime events, including a guided wildflower walk through our wonderful Marsh & Mill Meadows and a Working Party in the same riverside location, whilst keen growers can explore Greencroft Allotments with guided tours on 13 June.   Later on the 13 June you can listen to Poetry entries at Henley Library between 5.30-7.30pm. If that wasn’t enough, the GH Business Group will be gathering on the evening of 14 June for the ‘Green Tactics 2’ seminar at D:Two, with all local businesses encouraged to come along and hear first hand insights into the highs and lows of working towards sustainability and net zero from fellow local businesses.

Later in the week, film lovers can come down to the Regal Picturehouse Cinema on the evening of 15 June for Fashion Reimagined and take part in a panel discussion with live Q&A after the film looking at ethical and sustainable fashion. Local fashionistas can be further inspired by a fun evening with swaps of preloved and vintage clothing at fashion event ‘Swaparama Razzamatazz’ on 16 June at The Green Room. On Sunday 18 June it’s the Paddleboard River Clean with Warriors on Waste – the final event of Henley’s Great Big Green Week. Come and get involved in the big green clean up, getting our stretch of the Thames ready for the Regatta!

Throughout the week Henley Library will display artworks by local primary school children from Greener Henley’s Environmental Science Challenge 2023 and poems from our Greener Poetry Competition and schools will be participating in a variety of activities with a ‘green’ focus. Shop windows will have green displays, and will take part in a family scavenger hunt, ‘spot the bees in ‘48’ – find 15 bees in shop windows and collect tokens to win Wildflower seeds, plus one lucky family will win ice-cream from local refill shop The Willow Basket!

Greener Henley are very thankful to Henley Town Council for their support of Henley’s Great Big Green Week in 2023.

If you would like to join in with Henley’s Great Big Green week, please email greenerhenley@gmail.com