T in the Park, the biggest carbon neutral music festival in the world, is this year supporting international development agency Christian Aid’s Cut the Carbon campaign and helping to promote its 1,000 mile Cut the Carbon March across the UK which arrives in Scotland on 15 July 2007.
Actress Katie Leung (Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films) will be taking to the stage to encourage festival goers to sign up to the Christian Aid campaign and join the Cut the Carbon marchers at a huge rally planned for 21 July in Edinburgh’s Meadows.
She said: “I am really looking forward to going to T in the Park. Not just because the Arctic Monkeys and The Killers are playing, but because it gives me a chance to tell people about the Cut the Carbon rally organised by Christian Aid and Stop Climate Chaos. The rally is doing something really important – highlighting what climate change is doing to the world’s poorest countries – and there are some great acts playing, too.”
Some 80,000 festival goers at T in the Park will be given the chance to sign a petition to Gordon Brown, calling on the UK government to:
* Use the Climate Change Bill to insist UK-based companies publish details of the co2 emissions in their annual report, to an agreed standard
* Push a fair international agreement that works for the world’s poor and will cut global co2 emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050
In addition Christian Aid will be asking revellers ‘Are you up for the challenge?’ as it uses an inflatable bungee run to promote its new 2008 London – Paris bike ride and 3 Peaks challenge events.
Geoff Ellis, head of Big Day Out Ltd which promotes T, said: £We’re delighted to support this work by Christian Aid and Stop Climate Chaos. The rally in Edinburgh will help to highlight the worrying global impact of climate change, but will also encourage everyone who attends to get involved by reducing their own carbon emissions.”
George Kyle, Head of Sponsorship at founding partners Tennent’s Lager adds: “All of us at Tennent’s Lager are delighted to be able to extend our commitment to reducing the impact of T in the Park on the planet, and to underline this by backing Christian Aid’s Cut The Carbon campaign.
“The decision to extend this commitment is testament to the fact that the festival has grown into a frontrunner since its inception in 1994. It’s a fantastic extension to our partnership with DF Concerts and our involvement in the event that we have been able to co-fund this initiative. Hopefully other major music events will be able to follow in T’s footsteps.”
Last year T in the Park promoted Christian Aid’s Trade justice campaign, The Beat Goes On, fronted by Rhys Ifans and supported on stage by Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd.
T in the Park is taking place from 6-8 July at Balado in Kinross-shire.