Staffordshire sustainability leaders summit

What does COP26 mean to Staffordshire and its actions to address the climate emergency?

That is the question that we'll be putting to leaders and contributors from across our local area as part of a round-table discussion, coinciding with the final day of COP26 in Glasgow.

Taking place under the awe-inspiring Gaia art installation, the summit will feature representatives from a wide range of sectors, discussing how organisations can contribute to the action against climate change.

The discussion will take place in the Chapel at Keele University, where BBC Radio Stoke will be involved and reporting from the event, and will be conducted in the presence of a live audience.

The event will be chaired by Professor Zoe Robinson, Professor of Sustainability in Higher Education at Keele, who will be relaying her thoughts and findings from her time at the COP26 conference.

Headline speakers

• Cllr Simon Tagg - Leader of Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for environment, infrastructure and climate change
• Joan Walley - former MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and Chair of House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee 2010-2015
• Chris Langdon - Development and Investment Director at EQUANS UK & Ireland (part of ENGIE)

Sector speakers include:

• Sarah Roberston - BBC Radio Stoke - Media perspective
• Jeremy Lowe - National Farmers Union - Farming perspective
• The Revd Canon Andrew Wickens - The Minister Church of St Peter and Vincula (Stoke Minister) - Faith perspective
• Louisa Shaw - Place Brand Manager - Staffordshire Place board
• Tom Guilbert-Newell - Youth and Education perspective
• Julian Woolford - Wildlife Trust - Land Management and Nature perspective

Friday 12 November 2021 | 10:00-12:30

Chapel, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG

Please note that the event has limited capacity, and places must be booked in advance. Bookings will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

* Keele University and ArtsKeele are thrilled to be working in partnership with Appetite and welcoming Luke Jerram's Gaia installation to the wonderful Keele University Chapel this autumn.

The amazing artwork measures six metres in diameter and features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth's surface (compiled by NASA's Visible Earth series). Gaia provides the opportunity to see our planet on this scale, floating in three-dimensions.