RUNNERS, cyclists and sailors will be working together to pass a baton from hand to hand as it travels from Scotland, through Europe, and finally to Egypt.
The final destination is Sharm El Sheikh, but on the way it will be handed over at the University of Reading, before being carried on to Wokingham.
It bears a message from young people to the decision makers at COP27, which takes place this November in Egypt.
What is its message?
We are running out of time.
From its starting point in Glasgow, where COP 26 took place last year, the baton will pass through a total of 732 stages and will travel over seven and a half thousand kilometers.
It will cross seas, mountain ranges, glaciers and deserts, visiting schools, at-risk locations, and climate change projects along the way.
After it leaves Scotland, the baton relay will take a week to reach Berkshire.
It will pass through Reading and Wokingham on Friday, October 7.
Professor Ed Hawkins, creator of the warming stripes image, will run with the baton from Reading Hydro.
This is a community hydro power plant located next to Caversham Weir.
Prof Hawkins will carry the baton to The University of Reading, where he will pass it to Professor Peter Miskell of Reading University’s Henley Business School.
An official hand over event will take place at the university’s Atmospheric Observatory, attended by the vice chancellor, students and staff, local councillors and MPs
Prof Miskell will then run with the baton to St Paul’s Church in Wokingham.
He says: “I love running, and I’ve done it for most of my adult life, so I was very happy to be asked to do this, and said yes straight away.
“I looked into the event afterwards, and only then realised what I’d signed up for, and just how fantastic it is.
“The logistics of organising something as big as this are amazing.
“It’s great to be a part of it.
“And as a university we have departments dedicated specifically to the climate and the environment, so it’s absolutely right for us to contribute to an event like this.”
Local timings for baton hand overs on Friday, October 7 are:
Professor Ed Hawkins leaves Reading Hydro at 2.55pm
He arrives at Reading University Atmospheric Observatory at 3.25pm.
Professor Peter Miskell leaves the Observatory at 3.25pm.
He arrives at St Paul’s Church, Wokingham at 4.20pm.
“If the weather is fine, it will be a real pleasure to do the run,” says Prof Miskell, “it’s a great thing to be doing on a Friday afternoon.”
All along the route, relay bearers are being sponsored to raise funds for charities, Carbon Copy, and the Foundation for Environmental Education’s Global Forest Fund.
When the baton arrives at its final destination in Egypt, up to a million pupils from around the world will be brought together on Thursday, November 3 for a Global Schools Day.
For more information about the Running Out Of Time relay visit: www.running-out-of-time.com
