The Okehampton Big Green Week was a success with crowds gathering from far and wide to enjoy film screenings, talks and fairs all in the name of environmental activism.

The annual event was spearheaded by Fran Rickwood who has been involved in environmentalism in Devon for over 20 years.

Fran, retired, said: “I hope the events we put on for Big Green Week will be a springboard for more environmental activities in Okehampton. I’m really advocating for environmental events to be the norm.

“It was really nice to see younger people attend the Big Green Week events, because they’re the ones with the innovative ideas. We aimed for most of the events to be uplifting and positive instead of doom and gloom. The week was well-received.”

The week started with The Big Lunch which was held at Okehampton’s Community Garden where attendees enjoyed a mixture of gardening, chatting and sharing food which included produce freshly picked from the garden.

Tuesday evening saw an uplifting evening of three short environmental films screened at the New Carlton Cinema with a theme around temperate rainforests.

The films were followed by a question and answer session led by staff from the Woodland Trust who explained the importance of restoring the precious temperate rainforests and why they are critical in the fight against the climate and nature crises. The films and discussions that followed created a strong sense of a positive and 'can-do' attitude towards how we can all actively engage in the biodiversity crisis.

The films were so well received that tickets were sold out and viewers had to be upgraded to a bigger screen.

On Saturday it was the annual Eco Fair coordinated by Plastic Free Okehampton.

The event included a nature photography competition and a bio-blitz of the grounds of All Saints Church where plants, mammals, trees and insect species were recorded.