SOMERSET’S first climate cafe launches in Wellington on Shakespeare's birthday.

Climate Cafe Wellington opens its doors on the 462nd anniversary of the bard's birthday on Thursday, April 23.

The aim is to offer the public a safe place to put their concerns into words without judgement or risk of being shouted down.

According to the latest figures published by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's public attitudes tracker in October 2025, 79 percent of the British population is worried about climate change.

The launch event at Wellington Meeting House welcomes a panel of speakers familiar with the climate challenges facing the local ecology.

Speakers include Wellington's Weatherman Simon Ratsey has recorded the town's weather data for forty years via a weather station on the family farm. He will discuss half a century of local weather patterns, and is joined by Exeter University PhD student Halle Krieger who suggests we are moving into a new epoch of ecological stewardship called the Ecocene.

Conservationist and chief executive of the Somerset Association of Local Councils (SALC), Ewan Jones advocates for giving nature the same rights and legal status as individuals. He recently hosted a talk in Bruton given by barrister Paul Powlesland, a founder of Lawyers For Nature.

Following all presentations, the meeting will open up the conversation to the audience.

A spokesperson for the Climate Cafe Wellington said: “Climate cafes are springing up worldwide to provide a welcome opportunity to meet others interested in developing grassroots community engagement guided by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

“The seventeen goals identify practical ways to address pressing issues such as affordable energy, clean water, quality education, decent work and good health.”

Torres Vedras, a Portuguese city twinned with Wellington, is a global pioneer in implementing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Its local authority, Câmara Municipal de Torres Vedras, uses the goals to inform every decision the city council makes from procurement to planning.

The speakers at the launch of Climate Cafe Wellington will consider UN Goal 13 - Climate Action from a local and global perspective. The climate cafe's guiding principle alongside the UN goals is 'Think Global, Act Local', a slogan credited to David Brower, founder of Friends of the Earth in 1969.

The climate cafe is being run in partnership with the Levels Climate Forum, which formed to provide a support network for parishes on the Somerset Levels during the pandemic

Climate Cafe Wellington’s opening will be held at Wellington Meeting House on Thursday, April 23, from 7 pm to 9 pm. Doors open 6.30 pm for refreshments and conversation.

Organisers are asking for a cash donations only at the door to cover the cost of putting on the event and covering the speakers' travel expenses. Hot drinks and homemade cake will be available as well, also by cash donation.

The climate cafe will meet monthly at the same venue on the second Thursday of the month, starting Thursday, May 14, from 6.30 pm.