MORE than 100 people, including many children, have taken to the streets of Brecon as part of the climate day of action.

Crowds gathered in the Bethel Square shopping centre before staging a protest march through the town centre, stopping, for speeches at the Wellington Monument in the Bulwark, and returning to the shopping centre.

A small number of pupils from Brecon High School, Gwernyfed High in Three Cocks and Brecon independent school Christ College attended the demonstration which encompassed the school strike for climate change movement though most of the children in attendance were from local primary schools.

Christ College student Amelia, who is from the United States and a border at the school, addressed the crowd in the Bulwark using a megaphone and said she and her friends had defied their school to take part in the action.

The 15-year-old said: "My friends and I have come from Christ College to join this campaign. We were told by the administration we were not allowed to leave school today as our education has to take priority over any demonstration but we’ve left anyway and I’d ask the administration what is the point of education if the government will not lesson to the educators?

"This is our planet, our future, and there is no planet B.

"This is an insane, emotional experience to see all the different generations here. This is the first time in a while when I’ve thought about the environment and felt hopeful."

Among those attending the march were Brecon High School year 8 pupils Maisy and Cerys who said they had informed their school this morning they would be taking part.

But they said they were disappointed to be among only a handful of pupils from their school to have joined the action.

Cerys said: "A lot of them don’t know what climate change is and don’t really care. They just don’t believe that plastic are going to kill all the animals."

Posters carried by those on the march included a picture of the globe in a flame with the message ’Let’s Chill Out’ and the warning ’You’ll die of OLD AGE, I’ll die of CLIMATE CHANGE’ written on paper other.

Others to address the crowd included Brecon’s Plaid Cymru town councillor Grenville Ham and Brecon and Radnorshire’s recently elected Liberal Democrat MP Jane Dodds. Labour members of Brecon town council also attended the march.

Mr Ham said he was working as a scientist 23 years ago when data on climate change "scared the hell out of me" but he said he was encouraged by the turnout: "I had a tear in my eye as we walked around town. 20 years ago there would be five or six people, to see this many people gathered in my hometown is probably why I was crying."

Ms Dodds said: "I want to say a huge thank you to all the children and young people here, I salute you for making us all pay attention."

The Lib Dem also said climate change is a bigger issue than the UK’s current Brexit political crisis: "If we don’t save our planet there will be nothing left and all the debates and discussions about the B word can be put aside, this is the most important issue."

Ms Dodds said she wants to set up a citizens assembly for Brecon and Radnorshire to bring a wide range of people together to discuss climate change and find solution.Olivia Crooks, one of a group of mums who helped organise the action with children, told the demonstrators they were joining millions of others across the world taking part in the action and led chants of "What do we want? Climate justice. When do we want it? Now".