Climate baton passed at Lawrence Weston turbine

Runners on the road from Ben Nevis to Big Ben stopped in Lawrence Weston today, in the name of climate change.

The Running Out of Time climate relay took in the Ambition Lawrence Weston community-owned wind turbine as part of a 2661km tour of inspiring climate projects across Scotland, Wales and England.

The collective effort of the relay is a symbol of the collaboration needed to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.

The race will finish at Big Ben where 400 protesters will gather to demand the UK government commit to meaningful action on the climate emergency.

Runners brought the baton from the Wave, where it was surfed in by a relay participant, to the site near Avonmouth of the biggest onshore wind turbine in England, standing at 150m tall or 32 flights of stairs.

The baton being surfed in at the Wave – photo: Mike Brogden

Dan Thompson, founder of Running Out of Time, says the story encapsulates the relay’s focus on positive community empowerment and action:

“It paints a picture in your head of communities all round Britain getting together and replicating this,” he said.

“Some people are turned off by the doom and gloom of climate change, or it makes them fearful.

“We want to turn it around and say this is clean, cheap, reliable energy; it means clean air and water, which we all rely on to live.

“Once you switch to the positives of climate action, it’s a lot easier for us all to get behind. I think it’s super important to change that narrative.”

The turbine project was seven years in the making, developed by Ambition Community Energy CIC which now owns and administers the turbine. Electricity generated is sold into the national grid and all profit returned to community regeneration charity Ambition Lawrence Weston.

The spade finally went in the ground on this day last year, and the turbine now supplies enough energy for 3000 homes – the size of the Lawrence Weston community.

“July 4 2022 was independence day for Ambition Lawrence Weston!” says David Tudgey, Bristol Energy Network project development manager.

The Running Out of Time relay and support team, and runner Rowan Messer of Bristol Energy Network – photo: Ursula Billington

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) have now provided investment for ten more turbines. David is excited about the potential:

“We’re going to be developing a blueprint for the nation. We want to go from one to ten to 5000 – the number we need to reach net zero.

“Climate change is exponential, so our work needs to be exponential.

“With the money upfront we can go straight through the process, get the planning permission and then get the rest of the investment in behind it.

“We can then transfer that to communities – so rather than big corporations reaping rewards from the green energy transition it’s communities like Lawrence Weston that benefit.

“That’s what we need – energy sovereignty for our nation again.”

The local community, one of the most deprived in Bristol, are “immensely proud” of the achievement, says David. “They love the green aspect. Knowing they are contributing and at the cutting edge.”

Charles Gamble, the team’s technical lead, chips in:

“If you ask the local community, they just want to put food on the table, they might not have a job, they’ve got high rates of deprivation, badly insulated houses – so talking about climate change here has previously been pointless.

“But now they can connect to the climate issue via their own turbine and the contribution it’s making.”

Rowan and team set off on the next leg from Lawrence Weston to Lodway Football Club, then on to Ashton Court – photo: Ursula Billington

Bristol Energy Network hope to have three more projects in the ground within 2.5 years, and plan to use their experience to make the planning system more turbine-friendly.

“A lot of our processes aren’t set up for climate action and that’s what needs to change,” says David.

“We’re looking at the structures around net zero and how we can amend the planning system to allow turbines to be built much more quickly, and for local ownership to be part of that story.”

It’s an uphill struggle, they say, in the face of central government opposition, and an area where the UK are lagging behind compared to the rest of Europe.

Community-owned turbines are much more commonplace in France, Spain, Germany and Denmark.

Close to silent, and taking up less space per megawatt hours than a nuclear power station, they have many positives.

For most here, the passion is born from a love of the technology and its magical simplicity.

“It’s converting invisible air into invisible electricity,” says Charles, with a snap of his fingers; “Just like that.”

This piece of independent journalism is supported by The Extra Mile and the Bristol24/7 public and business membership.

Main photo: The Ambition Lawrence Weston team with WECA Head of Environment Roger Hoare, councillor Kye Dudd and members of the relay team. Photo: Ursula Billington

Read more:

• Work to begin on Bristol wind turbine that will be the tallest in England wind turbine
• Is Bristol taking the lead on the future of wind energy?
• Sole sister: Bristol’s all female running group

Listen to the latest episode of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines Podcast: