Totnes Climate Hub is staging a grand opening event on Saturday (June 25) featuring a line up of inspirational speakers, family-friendly activities and live music.

The climate change response centre found a home at The Mansion, Fore Street after townsfolk raised a whopping £27,000 in one month.

Now the climate champions who run the hub are staging a free open afternoon at Totnes Civic Hall from 1pm to 10pm, kicking off with creative workshops for all ages led by local organisations and projects focussed on local sustainability, and regenerative and caring projects.

Climate champion Jem Friar said: “Our intention is that the hub will be a welcoming and open space where people can come to learn about the various useful responses they can make to our global challenges.

“The launch event on Saturday has been organised to engage with as many local residents as possible with activities, inspiring speakers and performances designed to entertain our local community.

“The aim is to let the community know about the new hub and all the other great regenerative, sustainable and caring groups there are here in and around Totnes.”

From 3pm, a line of up of inspirational speakers will take to the stage, including local author Tom Rivett-Carnac, a former senior political strategist at the UN and one of the key architects of the COP15 Paris Climate Agreement.

Tom also co-authored ‘The Future We Choose’ and co-founder of Global Optimism – an organisation focused on bringing about environmental and social change. He will address the question ‘Where are we now?’

He will be followed by Emily Reed, the project manager of the Devon Climate Emergency partnership, which backed the Totnes Climate Hub’s Crowdfunding campaign.

Emily will talk about how Devon is responding to the climate challenges at local authority level.

Speaker Rob Hopkins, co-founder of Transition Town Totnes and the international Transition Network, will talk about ‘What Next?’ as he explores the positive and regenerative future Totnesians may choose to move towards.

The opening event will also include a ‘blizzard of stories’ session told by local people who have worked on inspiring local projects.

To found off, musicians Holly Eboy and Skin Mountain Collective will perform and guests will be served a vegetarian meal by the social enterprise, Food in Community.

For more information about the event and Totnes Climate Hub visit www.totnesclimatehub.info/events