Protest march to take to streets of Chesterfield town centre tomorrow

Chesterfield Climate Alliance and Extinction Rebellion activists will gather at 1.30pm on Saturday, May 22, in Rykneld Square, close to the Crooked Spire church, complete with a samba band.

The centrepiece of the parade will be a pedal-propelled ark, 5m long and 3m high, made from recycled materials.

MORE: ‘Major hotel brand’ interested in coming to Chesterfield Waterside site

It will be filled with animals that are threatened with extinction.

Members of the public are invited to dress up as animals or wear an appropriate hat, or just dress in blue and green to represent the natural world.

The march will head through the market area and arrive at the bandstand in Queen's Park at about 2.30pm, for ‘a bit of Covid-compliant samba band and disc-dancing’.

Organisers and those taking part have explained their reasons.

Brian Lever, one of the pedalling team in the ark, said: "Governments like ours are still investing billions in oil and gas and it's gradually killing us and most of the natural world.

"I'll be doing this to encourage more people to join us in demanding that humanity stops driving itself to self-inflicted extinction.

"The Ark is a poignant symbol of what we have to do."

Chesterfield mum Michelle Cadet-Rose said: "I'm marching tomorrow because I was so shocked to learn that of all the birds on the planet, 70 per cent are farmed chickens, and only 30 per cent are wild birds.

"We need to do better than this as humans beings – my children deserve a better legacy."