WeCan Lobby

Ruth Jarman and a group of children from her church and town attended the WeCan lobby on 23 March 2009. She reports:

"Well we did it - 15 children and 7 adults got there and back without loosing any!

The children were all wearing T-shirts they had designed, a few being finished off on the train on the way up there. We met the rally in Old Palace yard, where we sang songs, bounced a large globe on a parachute and listened to short speeches from Collin Challen MP and Zac Goldsmith before going into the Houses of Parliament to speak to our MPs. We met with James Arbuthnot, MP, in a committee room above Westminster Hall.

Helen Jarman said "We are here because we should be looking after the world and the government is not doing enough to look after it". James said that "climate change is the most important issue" and that "The decision to allow a third run way at Heathrow was wrong." He also agreed that "Kingsnorth (the potential new coal-fired power station in Kent) should only go ahead if it has carbon capture and storage from day one".

A number of the group were from St. John's church in Hartley Wintney. "There's a passage in the Bible about turning the hearts of the father to their children" said Ruth Jarman, "We hope that seeing so many innocent faces of hope will spur the leaders of our country to exert moral leadership and give this climate crisis the passion, courage and determination that it needs."