Pilgrimage for COP26 passes through Falkirk District

The Pilgrimage for COP26 visited Bo’ness and Falkirk on Tuesday and Wednesday as it made its way from Dunbar to Glasgow.

The interfaith event saw local churches and mosques involved in the event, hosting the pilgrims and providing meals.

Among them were St Catharine’s in Bo’ness and St Mary’s in Grangemouth, Trinity Church Falkirk and Christ Church in Falkirk.

The two local mosques provided food for the pilgrims on Wednesday evening when they were staying at St Francis Xavier Church.

Pilgrimage for COP26 is a walk and a learning journey from Dunbar to Glasgow to reflect on the climate and ecological crisis in anticipation of COP26.

The group are walking to reflect on the crisis as it relates to their own lives, the communities they pass through and the lives of those already impacted both human and more-than-human.

Organisers say they are building a community of witness and resistance committed to climate justice now and in the wake of COP26.

As the pilgrims complete the route across the Central Belt, a public engagement programme has been taking place encouraging people to participate.

Among the local events were a free screening of Anote’s Ark – a film showing the plight of climate refugees and indeed the whole nation of Kiribati, a colletion of islands in the Pacific Ocean – at the Hippodrome in Bo’ness on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday afternoon, a special Reflection for COP26 event was held at the Peace Pole in the Helix Park.

Those attending enjoyed a short interfaith service featuring contributions from the Freedom of Mind Choir, Stitches for Survival and local school children who produced posters for COP26 at the instigation of Falkirk Rotary.

The Pilgrimage for COP26 started in Dunbar on October 17 and is due to reach Glasgow Green on Saturday afternoon.

Participants will meet with other pilgrims from across the world who have walked or otherwise travelled to Glasgow to participate in COP26 for the Pilgrims’ Procession and International Gathering.

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