LAURA and Gerald Conyngham from Old Tiverton Road, Crediton took part in a four-day protest organised by Extinction Rebellion in partnership with 200 other organisations in London from April 21 to 24 to call for more action on the climate and ecological emergencies.  

They joined a picket of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to call for climate justice, withdrawing support from fossil fuel projects and offering fair support to those affected by climate damage. The couple carried a banner with the names of their grandchildren.  

Laura said: “Action to reduce climate change and cut the losses of biodiversity are vital for the life chances of those growing up today. To me that means our grandchildren, aged one and two.”

She is the Clerk of Exeter Quaker Meeting.

Others from Crediton also joined the protest, including the march for Biodiversity on the second day (Earth Day) with families and many participants in animal costumes.

The event ended in a silent “die-in” stretching from St James’s Park via Parliament Square to Lambeth Bridge accompanied by sounds of birdsong.