OTLEY 2030 has teamed up with Otley Courthouse to transform their much-loved annual Green Fair into a weekend-long celebration of climate and biodiversity action.

The weekend kicks off in unusual style at Otley Social Club on Friday, March 31 with a bike-powered gig brought to you by Otley 2030 and Friday Night Live, organised by the Woolpack Music Studios. Three local youth bands are on the bill and the sounds they create will be as loud and brilliant as ever, but they’ll use a lot less mains power. That’s because the sound system will be powered entirely by bikes - and the audience. Otley 2030 has engaged Reaction Bike Power, a social enterprise hiring out bike power systems for events and allowing people to generate electricity through exercise. The gig is supported by a grant from Leeds Inspired.

Saturday, April 1 sees a big name visit Otley Courthouse to talk about ‘39 Ways to Save the Planet’. Tom Heap is best known as a presenter of BBC 1’s Countryfile and of Radio 4’s environment series, Costing the Earth. A journalist and author he also presents his own flagship podcast series, ‘39 Ways to Save the Planet’ – now available as a book.During this special evening, Tom will share his insights and experiences and promises you’ll leave feeling more positive about climate change than you did when you came in. He'll also be signing his books, and hopes to have time for a Q&A session during the evening. The evening is supported by Otley Town Council.

Otley 2030 Community Development Lead, Andrew Howarth said: “We wanted to expand the Green Fair and build on Otley 2030’s successful Festival of Kindness (in 2021) to really engage the whole town in thinking about how we can make a just transition to a net-zero town by the 2030s.”

The weekend will also include the annual Green Fair at the Courthouse on Saturday, April 1 from 10am-4pm and a series of workshops of locally-focused climate and biodiversity action from Climate Action Leeds, in collaboration with Otley 2030 on Sunday, April 2, 10am-4pm. Both of these events will be free.

Tickets for the Tom Heap event are available from the box office at Otley Courthouse and from its website: https://otleycourthouse.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173638824

Tickets for the bike-powered youth gig will be available through Friday Night Live Eventbrite, go to: tinyurl.com/O2030bikegig

They will also be available on on the door (if it hasn’t sold out).