An Ark on the Thames and a call for bold leadership at climate summit

03/07/09

The Bishop of London led more than two hundred children in animal masks and costumes on a 'Noah’s Ark' style journey up the River Thames yesterday (Thursday 2 July).

At the end of the trip, in Victoria Gardens near the Palace of Westminster, the Bishop was joined by sheep, goats, alpacas and chickens from Vauxhall City Farm and several Members of Parliament including the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband.

There were also African drummers, a brass quintet and a bicycle-powered PA system. In the climax to the event, the Bishop of London delivered a stirring challenge to the UK Government to exercise bold leadership at this December’s crunch UN climate summit.

The event was organised by Operation Noah, a Christian pressure group that campaigns exclusively on climate change. In his speech at the event the Bishop of London called for the Government to "take the action that we all know is necessary to protect this fragile but very beautiful globe".

Pupils from six London schools joined the Bishop, along with musicians from the Trinity College of Music in Greenwich.

The Bishop of London was interviewed by the Press Association, and the video is available here.

Time for Action on Climate Change is an article written by Bishop Richard for the Guardian, published yesterday.