Henley’s Great Big Green Week – 10 to 18 June 2023

‘Great Big Green Week’ is back! A full week of environmentally green activities is programmed for Henley’s residents to enjoy during Henley’s Great Big Green Week this year from 10 – 18 June, with lots of different sectors of the community coming together to show how Henley is taking action to tackle climate change and protect nature. 

Following on from the tremendous success of last year, Greener Henley are teaming up with Henley Town Council and a host of other local groups to put on a week long series of events under the banner ‘Henley’s Great Big Green Week’ – a true community effort in the making!

What’s happening day by day

Greener Henley’s activities have something to suit everyone including a Fair in the Town Hall on 10 June, with a host of green stalls and fun activities where you can come chat about biodiversity, from bats and toads to trees and bees, Thames bathing, changing dirty water into drinking water, the town’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and lots more. There will be a gallery showing artwork by local schoolchildren plus poems from our Greener Poetry Competition, and kids of all ages can have a go at crochet, weaving, felt-making and crafting insects throughout the day. Jo from Honeys of Henley will be giving a talk on bees 11-12pm, and we’re teaming up with Pavillion Foods for ‘Plant vs Beef Taste Test: Which Burger’s Best?’ – come along and tickle your taste buds!

In addition to the Fair, on Sunday 11 June local churches are dedicating services to the environment, and Badgemore School Gardening Club are opening up their grounds for a family-friendly scavenger hunt. On 12 June green-fingered folk can get involved in the conversation around wildlife-friendly gardening techniques and how we can better support local biodiversity at our ‘Green Gardeners’ Question Time‘ event. The week also sees GH’s Wildlife Group with two daytime events, including a guided wildflower walk through our wonderful Marsh & Mill Meadows and a Working Party in the same riverside location, whilst keen growers can explore Greencroft Allotments with guided tours on 13 June. If that wasn’t enough, the GH Business Group will be gathering on the evening of 14 June for the ‘Green Tactics 2’ seminar at D:Two, with all local businesses encouraged to come along and hear first hand insights into the highs and lows of working towards sustainability and net zero from fellow local businesses.

Later in the week, film lovers can come down to the Regal Picturehouse Cinema on the evening of 15 June for Fashion Reimagined and take part in a panel discussion with live Q&A after the film looking at ethical and sustainable fashion. Local fashionistas can be further inspired by a fun evening with swaps of preloved and vintage clothing at the ‘Swaparama Razzamatazz’ fashion event on 16 June. On Sunday 18 June it’s the Paddleboard River Clean with Warriors on Waste – the final event of Henley’s Great Big Green Week. Come and get involved in the big green clean up, getting our stretch of the Thames ready for the Regatta! 

What’s happening throughout the week

Throughout the week Henley Library will display artworks by local primary school children from Greener Henley’s Environmental Science Challenge 2023 and poems from our Greener Poetry Competition, and schools will be participating in a variety of activities with a ‘green’ focus. Shop windows will have green displays, and will take part in a family scavenger hunt, ‘spot the bees in ‘23’ – find 15 bees in shop windows and collect tokens to win Wildflower seeds, then enter our prize draw for some super family prizes courtesy of our local retailers – it might be ice-cream from local refill shop The Willow Basket, or something from Asquith’s Teddy Bear Shop, Gail’s Bakery, or Costa Coffee!

Greener Henley are very thankful to Henley Town Council for their support of Henley’s Great Big Green Week in 2023.

Full list of events taking place during Henley’s Great Big Green Week:

Saturday 10 June
– Henley’s Great Big Green Fair 10-4pm at the Town Hall, full listing of participants available here
– Jo from Honeys of Henley will be giving a talk on bees 11-12pm
– ‘Plant vs Beef Taste Test: Which Burger’s Best?’ outside Pavilion Foods, 12-2pm

Sunday 11 June
– Local church participation, services dedicated to the environment
– Badgemore School Gardening Club: grounds open to visitors for a ‘National Trust style’ scavenger hunt, along with children’s art making with natural leaf pigments, 10-2pm

Monday 12 June
– Green Gardeners’ Question Time: panel discussion around wildlife-friendly gardening techniques with a panel Q&A session, at Henley Rugby Club, 7-9:30pm
– Guided Wildflower Walk at Marsh & Mill Meadows with wildflower expert Sally Rankin, 10-12pm

Tuesday 13 June
– Greencroft Allotment Guided Tours: explore Greencroft Allotments with experienced plot holders, 10-1pm
– Greener Poetry Competition readings at Henley Library, 5:30-7:30pm

Wednesday 14 June
– ‘Green Tactics 2’ Business seminar & networking event with speakers, at D:Two, 5-7pm
– Wildlife Group working party, Mill Meadows, all welcome, 9:30am-12:30pm
– Henley Garden Buddies: caring for the Fire Station garden in a green and sustainable way

Thursday 15 June
– ‘Fashion Reimagined’: Greener Henley in collaboration with Picturehouse present their latest Green Screen film, followed by panel & live Q&A, at Regal Picturehouse Henley, 7-9:30pm

Friday 16 June
– ‘Swaparama Razzamatazz’ preloved fashion swap & shop, music and bar at The Green Room, 48 Market Place, 6-9pm

Sunday 18 June
– Paddleboard River Clean with Warriors on Waste, at River & Rowing Museum Jetty, 10-12pm 

Throughout the week
– Greener Poetry Competition: Poems from the competition will be on display at Henley Library & the Fair
– Artworks by local primary school children on display at Henley Library
– ‘Spot the Bees in 23’ scavenger hunt in shop windows: for each bee you find you get a token; exchange 15 tokens for Wildflower seeds, then put enter your name in our lucky drawer to be in with a chance of winning family ice-cream from Willow Basket, or other prizes from Asquith’s Teddy Bear Shop, Gail’s Bakery and Costa Coffee!

We are now organising the event, contacting local shops and businesses. If you or your organisation want to be involved please email Greener Henley.

#GreatBigGreenWeek is taking place nationally 10 June – 18 June 2023 and will be the largest event for climate and nature ever seen in the UK. Thousands of events across the UK will celebrate how communities are taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces, encouraging others to get involved too. For more information on the national initiative: https://greatbiggreenweek.com/