The WWF Living Planet Centre in Woking was buzzing on 30 April as a vibrant crowd joined us at the Surrey Climate Commission Annual Gathering and AGM. We hit the ground running with a packed agenda, first exploring Local Government Reorganisation before diving into the vital work of the Our Future Surrey, Healthy Travel Surrey, and People Powered Surrey campaigns.
After a snapshot of the Commission’s achievements this year, the spotlight shifted to the Elmbridge Climate Change Citizens’ Panel. While the "how and why" of the process was insightful, the true power of the evening lay in the testimonials from the Panel members themselves. Their accounts of what they had learned were deeply moving, and their palpable, vehement call for urgent change served as a masterclass in the strength of local participative democracy.
The momentum continued into a hands-on workshop where attendees strategized on how to upscale impact and ensure climate and nature recovery become top priorities for newly elected local representatives. We concluded with our formal AGM, feeling energized by the collective input of everyone involved. We thank everyone for making it such an uplifting evening!
The presentation slides are below: