Anyone walking through Worthing Town Centre may have noticed an interesting new shopfront in recent weeks. It turns out, this is the home of Climate Resilience Centre Worthing (or CREW for short), a recently registered charity set up to inform and encourage action against climate change within the community.

CREW officially opened in Worthing High Street during the first week of January 2023. However, they also form part of a network of around 40 Climate Emergency Centres (CECs) across the UK. While CREW are their own charity, they work alongside the Climate Emergency Centres (as well as other local organisations) towards shared goals.  

Every Wednesday evening, CREW host talks and events, in order to raise awareness about different local campaigns, which vary each week. These talks aim to connect local groups that don’t have their own physical space and help point people in the direction of campaigns they may wish to contribute to. They also run a ‘climate cafe' which is designed to support those struggling with anxiety relating to the climate crisis. 

As a non-profit organisation, they rely on volunteers, as well as donations, to fund projects and keep CREW open. Sean Hellet, who works with CREW said:  

"One of our main objectives is to act as a hub for all these other people to operate from.” … “There’s a whole list of other local organisations that we want to bring together because we’re all working on the same problems."

Given that many people are unable to commit to volunteering, a lot of the campaigns publicised by CREW aim to promote small lifestyle changes to work towards a better future for the environment and ourselves. 

"The problem is, although a lot of people know about these things, I don't think they realise the implications."

Whether this is cutting down on animal products, using more public transport or just recycling, there are ways we can all do our bit for the good of the planet. That, put simply, is their message.

To find out more about how you can get involved, you can visit their website at www.worthingcrew.co.uk . Or to donate, search for ‘Climate Resilience Centre Worthing’ at www.crowdfunder.co.uk .