Category: Earth
* Between 1997 and 2008, the cost of travelling by train rose by 46%, while the cost of travelling by car rose by 26%
* UK rail fares are on average 50% more expensive than European fares.
* UK citizens currently take around 210 million flights a year – the same number as China’s 1 billion people.
* Aviation is the fast-growing contributor to CO2 emissions in the UK.
The Craftivist Collective and Climate Rush have collaborated to make a stand against excessive rail fares and demand an affordable, reliable and fair railway service for all.
Join the craftivists at 2pm on Sunday 10th April at King’s Cross to sit on a picnic blanket, drink tea and eat jam sandwiches whilst crafting petitions in the shape of train carriages. The Craftivists want people to craft 4inch deep x 7inches wide fabric train coaches with stats, facts and quotes that bring attention to the devastating effects that these train fare hikes are having on this cheap and sustainable form of transport.
Across the UK other craftivists will be joining in on the same day at the same time. So far events are happening in stations in Brighton, Sheffield, Coventry , Birmingham, Bangor, Dorset, Leeds, Bristol, London, Manchester, Devon and Cornwall. If you want to organise a group in your area please email craftivist-collective [at] hotmail dot com. You can either join Craftivists on the 10th or join in from home and post the carriages to them.
All of this crafting is in preparation for A Big Railway Adventure. On the 16th April activists will be meeting under The Monument, Fish Street Hill, London at 12noon. They will then be embarking on a train journey to a historic town during which sandwiches will be passed amongst passengers, train bunting will be embroidered and everyone will be entertained by a ceilidh band, all in a bid to raise awareness with passengers and capture media attention. If you would like to be involved come along on the 16th and bring bunting, jam sandwiches, your Oyster card and an appetite for adventure.
If your preferred mode of transport is bike then fret not because a Pedal Posse will be making the same journey on the same day to celebrate the wonders of the bicycle as an environmentally friendly means of transport. If you'd like to bike, meet at Greenwich Foot tunnel south side at 8am ready to cycle 60 miles along National Cycle Route 1.
For further information see Craftivist Collective, Climate Rush or A Railway Adventure
http://craftivist-collective.com/