New free events and activities at Lancaster’s oldest community and arts centre aim to raise awareness of the climate crisis.
Thanks to just over £5,000 of funding from Lancaster’s Food Futures, The Gregson is launching a Cardboard City event for families and a Gardening Club as well as building on the success of their Give and Take Days and Expert Hour.
“At The Gregson, we want to build on and develop what we’ve already been doing, enabling us to achieve our charitable aim to address the climate emergency through creative and community activity,” said The Gregson’s chief executive officer, Charles Tyrer.
One of its first initiatives, launched in 2023, were Give and Take Days which will continue bi-monthly throughout this year, starting on January 25 from 11am-2pm at the Moor Gate centre.
People donate homewares including kitchen utensils, cutlery, crockery, pictures, ornaments, toys, jewellery, bags, books, craft materials and vinyl records and anyone can take them away for free or for a small donation to The Gregson.
The aim is to help reduce waste and encourage a circular economy in the community across Lancaster and has proved very popular.
In an effort to encourage more families and particularly children to think about climate change, The Gregson will launch its Cardboard City initiative in the February half-term which will run during school holidays throughout the year.
Those taking part will be asked to design new worlds out of a room full of cardboard to encourage people to think about how they would like the world to look.
Meanwhile, spring will see The Gregson’s new Gardening Club blossom as the Yarden at the back of the centre is brought to life with permanent plant swaps and a new outhouse to add to the troughs already produced by volunteers.
And The Gregson will also develop the Expert Hour supported by the new funding. This Gregson version of TED Talks invites local people with expertise in a range of subjects to speak to an audience in the Secret Cinema.
Subjects already covered include the history of The Gregson, mosquitoes and paganism. To mark the end of the current series, there is a plan to host a larger scale event bringing together people already involved with organisations across Lancaster who are addressing the climate emergency in a localised way.
All these ideas came from the Gregson’s community of more than 100 volunteers.
“These projects will help our community owned and led charity to respond to our volunteers’ ideas, dreams and ambitions,” added Charles.
The Gregson was successful in its application from the Closing Loops – Your Pots Fund supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, following a comprehensive process including a public vote. The money enables the centre to provide the activities for free.
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