Traffic came to a halt in the centre of Brecon this morning as climate protesters marched through the streets.
Around 40 people, of which around a third were primary school children, carried placards and banners for the school climate strike which started in Bethel Square.
The protesters then marched to the Bulwark via the main car park, Heol Gouesnou and the High Street with messages like “there is no planet B” and “imagine a green, clear, future. We can make it!”
The climate strike was joined by Liberal Democrat candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire Jane Dodds as well as Plaid Cymru Brecon Town Councillor Grenville Ham and Talgarth-based poet Owen Sheers.
Cllr Ham said: “There’s a feeling that we’re starting to gain momentum with this. It’s very important, even on a local level like Brecon to spread the message and talk about the little things we can do.
“Logically the next stage is to push for change in our community rather than just profile raising.
“We do actually have a meeting in The Muse on February 1 which will have experts speaking about climate change. We’ll also be talking about how Brecon can do its part in cutting emissions and becoming more eco-friendly.
“Wales played a big part in the first industrial revolution, and now we want it to be part of the next industrial revolution which will be green.”
Jane Dodds, who addressed the crowd and voiced her support for the movement, could be seen waving a banner with the protesters in Bethel Square.
The group met at Bethel Square at 9.30am before they started marching and shouting about the urgency of taking action against climate change.
Adults said they attended the climate strike to show solidarity with the children. Some of the adults could be seen with Extinction Rebellion badges and placards.
Police were present at the small demonstration where they made sure protesters were not in any danger from the town centre’s usual traffic.
Eight-year-old Rosie, who was at the climate strike with her mum, said: “We want everyone to listen to us and to stop climate change.”
The school climate strikes began after the global youth campaign against global warming, started by the 16-year-old Swedish activist and Noble Peace Price nominee Greta Thunberg who also helped to inspire the Extinction Rebellion protests.
Brecon was one of many places to host a school climate strike today around the world. The children returned to school once the climate strike ended at around 10.30am.
Brecon’s climate community action group will be hosting a meeting about how the town can help the climate emergency in the new year.
Experts will be speaking at The Muse, which is based on Glamorgan Street, on Saturday, February 1 at 1pm which will allow residents to voice their opinions and discuss how the town can go forward while tackling climate change.