Nature & Climate Festival 2025
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Thanks for visiting the Nature & Climate Festival 2025 page.
The Thames Ditton & Weston Green Nature & Climate Festival
is returning, Friday 10th - Sunday 12th October 2025.
Founded in 2022 to encourage local residents to live more sustainably, the Festival’s trademark has always been inspirational talks, hands-on activities and entertainment, to celebrate the world around us and remind ourselves how important it is to protect it.
Programme of Events
Please note: All events will take place in the Vital Village centre in Mercer Close, Thames Ditton.
Most events and activities are free, and there is no need to book ahead unless specified.
Events requiring booking are marked with a Vital Village logo - clicking on this will take you to the
Vital Village What's On page where you can scroll down to the Nature & Climate Festival event listings.
Enquiries: Gill Coates: gcoates@residents-association.com 020 8873 3040
As before our Festival has four themes:
FRIDAY 10th OCTOBER
It’s Festival opening day! Drop into Vital Village to say hello, drop off some recycling and find out how to get your hands on our new sustainable living handbook ‘Live Life Better’, full of hints and tips!
RIVER THAMES LITTER CLEAN UP in Association with the Dittons Skiff and Punting Club (time t.b.c.)
We are partnering again with the Dittons Skiff and Punting Club to organise a water-bound river plastic clean up, subject to tides and water safety concerns. Please check the RA and DSPC websites for updates near the time. (Boarding at the DSPC clubhouse in Queen’s Road. Take part at your own risk.) Register your interest on the Vital Village ‘What’s On’ page. 
9.30am - 2.30pm: RECYCLE YOUR MOBILE TECH FOR CHARITY
We have joined forces with Relove Technology to repurpose and recycle old mobile technology to raise funds for charity. Drop off your old and unwanted mobile tech (phones, laptops and tablets only please), watch your data wiped live and know that by doing so you will be helping us raise funds for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and the Mayors’ Charity, The Community Fund for Elmbridge.9.30am - 2.30pm: LAUNCH OF OUR ‘BIG COMMUNITY RECYCLE’ RECYCLING STATION FOR HARD TO RECYCLE ITEMS
There are some everyday items that don’t go in our Council recycling bins, but they CAN be recycled with a little effort. In this case the effort is: simply collect them at home in one of our bags (limited supply) and drop them off at our new permanent Recycling Station in Vital Village. The items we’re collecting are: dental care waste (toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, floss etc); Foil pet food pouches; eye care waste (disposable contact lenses, solution bottles etc); medicine blister packs and coffee pods. Come along and find out more about how you can join in with this recycling project and cut down our community carbon footprint.
SATURDAY 11th OCTOBER
Come and celebrate our natural surroundings with inspirational talks and nature-inspired music, plus more recycling and the official launch of our Festival handbook for sustainable living, Live Life Better….10.00am - 4.00pm: THE BIG COMMUNITY RECYCLE CONTINUES….
Recycle your mobile tech with Relove Technology and bring your items to our new Recycling Station
(see Friday entry for details).
10.00am - 4.00pm: LIVE LIFE BETTER - THE LAUNCH OF OUR FESTIVAL HANDBOOK FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING
When we set up the Festival in 2022 the aim was to encourage people to live more sustainably by offering educational, inspirational and fun activities to spread the word. So far we have hosted over 80 different events and activities including some fantastic speakers. Now the best advice, hints and tips from previous Festival contributors have been collected into a beautifully illustrated handbook, so you don’t have to have to spend hours trying to figure out what it means to ‘make a difference’. Come and chat to Gill the author (here all day if you can pin her down), to find out more and collect the QR code for a FREE online copy.10.00am - 4.00pm: KNOW YOUR FLOOD RISK - DROP-IN SESSION
Living by the Thames is not without its risks. Drop in any time today to meet experts and discuss the issues that are causing you concern. From flood protection schemes to flood forecasting, they have the answers so you can understand the risks and be prepared.
10.30am - 12.00 noon: CHILDREN’S LITTER PICK & CRAFT FUN WITH THE TAP DANCING PIGEON OF COVENT GARDEN
Meet at Vital Village to join in a family litter pick led by none other than the Tap Dancing Pigeon of Covent Garden! (Kids-sized litter pickers, hoops and tabards provided). Help your little ones understand how litter can be a danger to wildlife and why it’s important not to drop it. Afterwards go to Dittons Library for some craft fun with Pigeon and a reading and book signing with author Serena Hassan. Tickets available via Dittons Library.
11am - 12.00 noon: PLANTING FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Local garden designer Gill Hall, who kindly donated plants from her Hampton Court Garden Festival 2025 show garden to Vital Village, joins us for an illustrated talk on ‘Planting for Health and Wellbeing’. We all hear about the health benefits of gardening, but what about the plants themselves? Which are the ones that hide their own health-giving secrets? Gill will share her extensive knowledge about the plants we can grow and how to use them in natural remedies. The talk will include a display of plants loaned by Squires Garden Centre and (weather permitting) a walk round the Vital Village garden. Free but please book via the Vital Village 'What’s On' page.
12.30pm: 'IN THE MOOD - MUSIC FOR THE ENVIRONMENT'
Graham Cooke, a familiar face at the Farmers' Market, entertains us on his saxophone with a selection of music specially chosen for the event. Grab a coffee or a snack, sit back and see how many tunes you can recognise and spot the nature and climate connection. Free
2.30pm - 3.30pm: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ELMBRIDGE AND ITS COMMONS
Claygate resident Dave Page worked with Elmbridge Borough Council’s countryside team for 33 years before retiring earlier this year. In a fascinating illustrated talk, Dave will take us on a visual tour of the wildlife to be found in our 625 ha of woodlands and commons and reveal some of his stories from restoring precious Surrey heath habitats, managing SSSIs, re-introducing rare species and tackling OPM. If you want to know more about the beautiful landscapes on our doorstep, this is a talk not be missed. Free but please book via the Vital Village 'What’s On' page.
SUNDAY 12th OCTOBER
It’s time to go wild! Let your kids ‘create a creature’, join a foraging walk, enjoy more Earth-inspired music and keep on recycling….
11.00am - 12.30pm: FORAGING WALK ON LITTLEWORTH COMMON
Julie Hancox (One Life Nutrition) is a professional nutritionist specialising in flowers, nature and foraging. In this very special event you can join Julie as she leads a walk round Littleworth Common and listen as she shares the secrets of the surprising food for free under our noses. £12 per person. Limited to 20 people. Book via Vital Village 'What’s On' page. Meeting place t.b.c.
11.00am - 12.00 noon: KIDS’ CRAFT ACTIVITY - CREATE A CREATURE WORKSHOP WITH THE DAVID SHEPHERD WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
The late wildlife artist David Shepherd was an outspoken conservationist. The wildlife foundation that bears his name today funds key conservation projects in Africa and Asia. We’re delighted to welcome them back today with their fun children's workshop that helps our younger generation to learn about endangered species and how we can help them. Free but please book via the Vital Village 'What’s On' page. Limited to 20 children. Best for under 12s.
11.00am - 1.00pm: WALTON REPAIR CAFE POP-UP SESSION
The Repair Cafe movement is a community-led initiative to reduce waste by repairing household items and keeping them going for longer (this can reduce the carbon footprint of an item by over one third). The team from the monthly Repair Cafe in Walton join us for a pop-up session where they will triage your items and advise on whether or not they can be repaired. Bring your items or photos (but don't expect on-the-spot repairs) and find out why repairing is better than replacing.
12.30pm - 1.15pm: 'WE ARE THE VOICE' CHILDREN'S CHOIR CONCERT
Yes, they’re back - the amazing 'We Are the Voice' choir, this time fresh from sharing the stage with Dame Jane Goodall (world-leading primatologist) at the World Design Congress, held in London for the first time since 1969 and whose theme was ‘Design for Planet’. We can’t tell you how much we love this choir and are looking forward to their return. Don’t miss them. Free.
2.00pm - 3.00pm: FAMILY FUN 'BINTERROGATION' GAME
Can you recycle old toothpaste tubes? Where do you take juice cartons? What can you do with holey old tights? There’s lots of fun to be had when you Binterrogate your waste. Join us for some good clean family fun as we rifle through our bins and race to be the first to come up with an inventive use for the most bizarre items. Prizes to be won! Top tip - bring your grandparents who know a thing or two about avoiding waste. Phones and iPads allowed for research.
3.30pm: Presentation of the Nature & Climate Photography Competition prize winners
3.45pm: Grand Raffle Draw
Follow the Nature & Climate Festival on Instagram: @TDClimatenaturefest and X: @TDNature
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The Nature & Climate Festival reserves the right to change or cancel events altogether in unavoidable circumstances.
We would like to thank Festival organisers Cllr Gill Coates, Cllr Caroline James and Laura Pring (Vital Village). Thanks to Lisa Tolley (lovely logos and tea towels). Special thanks to all of our wonderful Festival partners, contributors, speakers and performers. The Nature & Climate Festival would not be possible without the generous support of HJC Estate Agents and Killik & Co financial advisors and we are very grateful to Alex Langdon and Lucy Roshier respectively. Finally, a thank you to Festival co-founder, journalist and environmental campaigner Lucy Siegle, who sadly could not join us this year but who remains our biggest supporter.