School children from Hay-on-Wye and the surrounding areas will go on strike this Friday (February 15) and picket Hay Town Council to demand action on climate change.

The pupils, drawn from local schools including Fairfield High School and Clifford Primary School, plan to march through town, before giving speeches and meeting with local politicians. They are demanding that Hay Town Council:

1. Declares a climate emergency and acts upon it;

2. Appoints a youth representative to communicate the concerns of young people;

3. Increases the use of renewable energy from solar and wind;

4. Increases the number of safe cycle lanes;

5. Reduces the use of plastic bottles by installing water fountains.

The action is inspired by 16-year old Greta Thunberg from Sweden who last year started cutting classes because, she said: “If grown-ups don’t give a **** about my future, I won’t either.” Her protest has grown into a worldwide movement with tens of thousands of children across Europe, Australia and North America going on strike.

Rosa Lynas, 12, from Hay-On-Wye, said: “We are the first generation to grow up knowing that our planet is in crisis because of the way humans are treating it and not enough people are taking charge. Some adults are jeopardizing our future. The only way this is going to change is when kids start to make their voices heard, and adults start taking them seriously.”

Maisie Walker, 14, from Hay-on-Wye, said: “I really truly believe that if we don’t sort climate change out, we’re not going to have a suitable environment to put our education to use. And we’re not going to be able to be educated at all after a certain point, because in about 10 years climate change is going to be irreversible. So, in my opinion, missing one day of school hardly matters compared to missing out on a whole generation’s future.”