THE first ever ‘Climate Festival’ gets underway in Newton Abbot next week.

Organised by Action on Climate Teignbridge (ACT), the Arts Climate Festival will use the creative arts to communicate the lived experience of local people - their thoughts and feelings on climate change.

The festival kicks off at 10.30am on Saturday, June 22, where a ten foot ‘tree of hope’ sculpture made from repurposed wood by local schoolchildren will be unveiled at St Leonards clock tower.

Teignmouth Recycled Art in the Landscape (TRAIL) partnered with ACT to create the trees.

Community artists, Sam Locke, said: ‘As an environmental sculptor running the TRAIL, I see the ACT with the Arts Climate Festival as being a fantastic collaboration opportunity.

‘Engaging with Teignbridge’s young people and the community as a whole to create meaningful art that embodies our environmental aspirations that empowers us to advocate for crucial discussions to be made for a more sustainable future.

‘Through art, we can inspire change.’

Having been unveiled, the tree will then be moved to Newton Abbot Library, where it will stay for the remainder of the week long festival.

There is much to see and do between June 22 and June 29 - a full list of everything on offer can be found on ACT’s website.

More than 300 artists are taking part across 15 locations across Teignbridge.

The finale of the festival will take place at Ashburton’s Arts Centre, where several choir groups will perform.