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BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/united-for-local-climate-action-colchester-tickets-2003614779742?aff=oddtdtcreatorUnited for Local Climate Action
Colchester United Community Foundation × Climate Fresk × Community Climate Action
120,000 grassroots football matches are cancelled because of rain and flooding in a typical year. A third of community pitches can already be unplayable for up to two months of the year. And when the rain finally stops, clubs increasingly face the opposite problem: heat, drought and pitches too hard to play on safely.
Climate change isn't a distant issue for sport.
It's changing when we can play, where we can play – and what it costs to keep playing.
Sport England estimates that climate impacts are already costing grassroots sport around £320 million a year in repairs and lost income.
So we're bringing people together to ask a different question:
What can we do about it – locally and together?
Colchester United Community Foundation, Climate Fresk and Community Climate Action are inviting people from every kind of sport, alongside people from across the wider Colchester community, for a free, highly interactive day exploring what's changing and what practical action could look like here.
Because sport understands something rather well:
United, we can achieve more than divided.
WHEN AND WHERE
Sunday 22nd November 2026
12pm–5pm
Colchester United Community Centre, Boadicea Way, Shrub End, Colchester CO2 9BG
The workshop is completely free, with lunch, tea and coffee provided. Places are limited to 28 participants.
THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT FOOTBALL
This event is for people involved in all sports: football, rugby, cricket, hockey, tennis, athletics, running, cycling, swimming, bowls, community fitness, school sport and everything in between.
Whether you're a player, coach, volunteer, parent, groundskeeper, committee member, facilities manager or supporter, you probably have first-hand experience of how dependent sport is on the places and conditions in which we play.
But this isn't exclusively for the sporting community. The challenges affecting our sports clubs – energy, transport, extreme weather, buildings, green spaces and community resilience – affect all of us.
FIRST: UNDERSTAND WHAT'S CHANGING
We'll begin with Climate Fresk, the internationally recognised collaborative workshop based on the science of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Working together around a table, you'll explore the causes and consequences of climate change and the connections between them. You don't need any previous knowledge of climate change to take part.
THEN: WHAT CAN WE DO HERE?
In the second part of the day, Community Climate Action will bring the conversation firmly back to Colchester and the places where we live, work and play.
We'll explore opportunities across five areas of everyday community life:
🌱 Food – how we produce, buy, share and think about food locally
🏠 Housing – warmer, more efficient and more climate-resilient homes, clubhouses and community buildings
🦋 Nature – protecting biodiversity, improving green spaces and creating healthier places for people and wildlife
🚲 Travel – how we get to work, school, training, matches and events, and how we make sustainable travel easier
⚡ Energy – reducing energy use, renewable energy and the potential for community energy projects that keep more of the benefits locally
We won't try to solve all five in a day. Instead, we'll look at where there's energy in the room, what opportunities already exist locally and where bringing the right people together might unlock something new.
WHO SHOULD COME?
Everyone is welcome. We're particularly interested in people involved in sport across Colchester and the surrounding area – whatever the sport and whatever your role.
We're also inviting residents, businesses, charities, community groups, local leaders and anyone interested in making practical climate action happen locally.
You don't need to be a climate expert or arrive with a project. Bring your experience, your questions and the problems your club or community is already facing.
WHAT WILL YOU LEAVE WITH?
🌍 A stronger understanding of climate change and what it could mean for our communities
⚽ A clearer picture of the risks and opportunities for sport
🏘️ Ideas for local action across food, housing, nature, travel and energy
💡 Practical possibilities to take back to your club, organisation or community
🤝 New connections with people who could become collaborators, supporters or sources of expertise
🧭 A better understanding of where you could contribute
This free workshop is delivered through a partnership between Colchester United Community Foundation, Community Climate Action and Climate Fresk UK, as part of Initiating Climate Action in Colchester and Norwich, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Places are free and limited to 28 people. Please book through Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/united-for-local-climate-action-colchester-tickets-2003614779742?aff=oddtdtcreator
Let's see what we can do – together.
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Event venue
Colchester United Community Foundation, Colchester, United Kingdom
Tickets
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