A DENBIGHSHIRE town held one of Wales' first climate action meetings to discuss ways that communities in the county can tackle climate change.

Scores of people who are “not your traditional climate protestors” attended the meeting in Llangollen Town Hall on Thursday to express their concerns about the damage being done to the environment.

Environmental groups Friends of the Earth Llangollen (FOEL) and Extinction Rebellion Llangollen were present to talk about how homeowners, communities, councils and governments can bring about change. The discussions included ideas for local schemes such as tree planting, businesses becoming plastic-free, car sharing and a meat-free diet.

Changes such as upcycling, 're-wilding' and families cycling to school or work were also discussed.

Kay Polley, of FOEL, said environmental problems are not just of concern to major cities as they are having very real effects in Denbighshire.

She said: “We felt we needed to organise the meeting because we are facing a climate emergency and need to take action now. There is a sense that a huge groundswell of people in our communities who feel this way but maybe don’t know what to do about it.

“The support it got was amazing, the majority of people were not your traditional climate protestors, they were everyday people who are worried about what they are seeing happen to the environment.”

The meeting used examples set by the Corwen charity South Denbighshire Community Partnership, which already has an electric car share scheme, opened by AM Ken Skates and MP Susan Elan Jones last November, as well as a community energy scheme which uses a small hydro-electric generator in nearby streams that can power 40 homes a year.

Mrs Polley continued: “We carried out a survey on the A5 in Llangollen which found that the pollution levels were extremely close to the legal limit. There are families who are concerned about opening their windows and letting their children play outside.

“It is also problematic that public transport is so poor across North Wales, making people reliant on cars to get about.

“We are looking into further community car share and energy schemes, as well as ways to help reduce car use. We recently held a one-day cycle to school day and more than 240 pupils took part, about 70 per cent of the town’s primary school population, which was an amazing sight.

"Some parents said they continue to cycle with their children because they realised they do not need to drive.”

For more information about the Friends of the Earth Llangollen, visit the Facebook page.