The Human Swan and the Round Britain Climate Challenge has landed in Wales

Sacha Dench – the Human Swan – just crossed the border into Wales and will be visiting various stop offs as part of a world record breaking challenge aimed at raising awareness about the effects of climate change. She’ll be flying an electric paramotor – a bit like an electric fan with a large sheet above her – all the way around Britain as part of the Round Britain Climate Challenge.

 The Round Britain Climate Challenge is a 3000-mile circumnavigation of mainland Britain by Sacha Dench with an electric paramotor. On her journey Sacha will be calling on locals to sign up to Count Us In. This is campaign is to:

·       inspire at least 140,001 people to take personal climate action in a month as part of the global campaign Count Us In https://www.count-us-in.org/

·       achieve a Guinness World Record Title in the process

Sacha’s first stop in North Wales is with nature-friendly farmer, Sam Kenyon, at Glanllyn Farm, a livestock farmer based on the banks of River Elwy.

Sacha expects to be there on the evening of the 16^th July and will fly out in the morning weather permitting.

Sam is part of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), a UK-wide network who champion sustainable farming and nature. Their members demonstrate how it can be possible for farming to be good for both business and mitigating climate change, while producing high-quality food.

About the Round Britain Climate Challenge:

·      The expedition is designed to inspire and excite the nation to get involved in tackling the climate crisis

·      Sacha will be landing frequently, talking with, filming, and gathering information from, industry, innovators and entrepreneurs, local heroes, communities, schools, farmers and individuals – anybody interested in or involved in addressing the effects of climate change in their areas.

A compilation of these stories will be presented at COP26 the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November.

The team would be interested in hearing about any other local stories relating to climate change climate and from people and businesses with projects and solutions

Whilst Sacha is flying she likes to listen to music – so any suggestions of local bands for her flying playlist would be gratefully received. Send to stories@conservation-without-borders.org

Sacha said:

 “I am delighted to be visiting Wales and meeting people to focus on answers to the climate crisis – not problems – and encourage everyone, to get involved. We’re trying to answer the question Britain drove the Industrial Revolution, can we drive the Green Revolution too?

As part of this expedition, we are investigating how climate change is affecting different regions of the country and showing – in a visually stunning and exciting way – what is happing to help cut carbon and preserve and restore our environment. So me and the team are looking forward to capturing lots of pictures and footage in the area.”

Sam said:

“It’s great to have Sacha here to highlight how important climate mitigation is on the ground. We all have responsibility to do what we can and working with nature is one way of helping biodiversity and helping ourselves to thrive.

Our farm has been hit hard by the effects of changing weather patterns and flash flooding happens once or twice a year now, whereas historically, it used to be every seven years. Farmers are the front of mitigating climate change and it’s important we share best practice for doing so.”