Wimborne Wow!

On Saturday morning, I was in Wimborne. The poppy sellers were everywhere, and the local Town Crier looking stunning in scarlet and black. 
I discovered this is the weekend of the Wimborne GREEN Festival, and there was a programme of activities celebrating the town's "greening" and giving opportunities to develop environmental understanding.
All good stuff.

In the Minster, various groups had set out their stalls- including Friends of the Earth,The Allotment Group,  Stop Ocean Plastic!, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Hilfield Friary Retreat Centre, and WOW! the Wimborne War on Waste group, who have spearheaded this initiative in the town.

Here's the local WOW committee, 'saving the planet 'one coffee cup at a time' [I am not altogether sure why they wear them on their heads]

I couldn't stop long, as the Car Park Ticket was close to expiring. So I was unable to listen to the any of the talks, taking place under the rainbow canopy of origami butterflies. I did manage to be photographed as a mermaid, lying on a plastic littered ocean bed.

The Friends of the Earth rep gave me a large disc protesting about Fracking. I shall have to consider where best to display that. I wish I didn't feel that Cuadrilla will not be persuaded to stop their desecration of Lancashire until Blackpool Tower falls down.
That lady bottom right is Charlie, and she managed to answer a question I posed back in April - what should I do with my plastic straws? Wimborne are taking part in a massive straw collection, as there is a company [Terra Cycle] which will take large quantities. Charlie is going to email me the details so I can hand mine in. What a committed campaigner!
I'm very pleased that this little town is working so hard - they've already been awarded the 'Plastic Free Community' Status.
But one tiny [plastic] fly in the ointment - I went to Wimborne specifically to collect something I had ordered from the Minster Bookshop. My purchase was waiting for me, already packaged in a single use flimsy plastic bag ! The poor gift shop assistant was in a state about her till not working properly, so I didn't have the heart to point out the irony of this. 
Keep going Charlie! You are doing a great job with WOW - but it is going to be one small step at a time.
I got back to the Car Park with one minute to spare - which was very satisfying, as the Warden was at the other end of the row, working towards my car with her little penalty-printed machine. Better a 70p ticket than a £30 fine!