MORE than one hundred people turned out for the visit of Extinction Rebellion co-founder Roger Hallam to Kendal.

Dozens attended a talk from Roger, who is also a key player behind Insulate Britain and JustStopOiL, at The Shakespeare Centre.

He said: "The climate emergency is here now.

"The recent heatwave in London not only hit the UK with horrific temperatures of over 40 degrees for the first time but also caused terrible fires - the worst the emergency services have ever seen.

"Threats to life and everything we love like this are only going to get worse if our governments don’t stop burning fossil fuels."

Roger quoted top scientists and experts including Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government, with his stark warning: "We have to move rapidly.

"What we do over the next three-four years is going to determine the future of humanity.”

He added: "Even though the science is clear and most people recognise the urgency of the threat, our government is not doing anywhere near enough,’ and urged the audience to get actively involved, calling for mass civil resistance in October.

"Many of our parents or grandparents fought in WW2 to ensure a safe future for us. We now need to face up to our responsibilities to our children to do all we can to stop this existential threat."

Fiona Atkinson, 66, a grandmother from Kendal, said: "Roger is right. We can’t just stand by and watch as our government carries on destroying our only home.

"Like many others here tonight I felt it was a relief to hear someone speaking the truth however difficult - I am inspired to do all I can even if that means risking arrest."

The evening ended with many people signing up to offer support and take action. Roger said: "I and others are doing these talks all over the country and the reaction has been great.

"So many people are taking their responsibilities at this time seriously enough to get fully involved."

Another Kendal grandmother Catherine Rennie-Nash, 72, said: "So many people are worrying by themselves at home.

"By joining a group like JustStopOil they can turn that worry into positive action and get support from being part of a like-minded group."

Gwen Harrison, 45, one of the organisers of the talk, said: "Roger was very inspiring.

"If people missed it they can go on the JustStopOil web site and access the weekly zoom meetings to find out more."