A collaboration of community groups marched through Colchester on Saturday to draw attention to the ongoing climate crisis on the eve of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

Eco Colchester, the Green Party, Extinction Rebellion Colchester, the Socialist Worker Party, and about 200 other protestors converged on the war memorial in Colchester Castle Park before the march began at noon.

A samba band from the Ipswich branch of Extinction Rebellion led the protest as hundreds marched along Queen’s Street in an organised and peaceful protest with a small number of police officers keeping a watchful eye.

The group then proceeded up Osborne Street, along Head Street, and along the High Street before returning to Colchester Castle Park shortly after 1pm, where campaigners and activists gave speeches via a megaphone.

Protestors donned signs, banners, and placards as they looked to put their message across to onlookers.

Environmental campaigner Lisa Cross, and her mother, Roslyn Marshall, were at the front of the march, which encompassed protestors of all ages.

A member of the Green party, Mrs Cross was one of numerous people who wanted to help organise a march to demand action from world leaders the day before the COP26 summit opened.

She said: “It came to my attention that people wanted to get together to mark the occasion of the COP26, and somehow I just ended up getting people together and it went from there.”

When asked about the purpose of the march, Mrs Cross, 53, said the intention was to make global leaders aware that people were following their actions.

“The march is symbolic,” she said.

“It says that we are watching the world leaders and we are aware of the issues and what needs to be done – and we are telling them that it’s time they did something.

“There are lots and lots of people who may not be aware of what COP26 is and we’re sharing our concerns with them, but we wanted to do it in an inclusive and light-hearted way.”

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Mother of two, Grace Darke, also appeared at the front of the march alongside her four-year-old daughter, and said she was campaigning for a safer planet for her children.

She said: “I’m not a member of Extinction Rebellion, and I wouldn’t call myself an activist, but I feel like I need to be here because I feel let down by our Government and I feel that not enough is being done to protect the future of our children and the world.

“It was emotional – I kept looking at my little girl, and thinking I’m doing it for her.

“I felt grateful to see so many other people around me who were also there for the cause – it made me feel we have a chance."