A chance to talk about the weather

The great flood of 2012

Over the last few years, West Wales has been battered by extreme weather. Are these one-off events, or the start of something new?

Forecast is a performance commissioned by local social enterprise Ymlaen Ceredigion in partnership with Ceredigion County Council and Aberystwyth University. It has been created by BBC playwright Sarah Woods*, and aims to initiate a conversation on extreme weather and climate change, our experiences and our response.

It includes interviews from local people including Mick Fothergill from Talybont: “We thought we knew all the moods of the river we'd seen it in all sorts of different states but… there was a complete different face to the river that we saw on that night…“

Also from river and climate expert Professor Mark Macklin from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences: “I've got thirty years of my lifetime to watch this unfold. Sea level will continue to rise, the amount is up for debate but it might be tens of centimetres……. it's not something we can deal with passively, it's going to need joined up thinking in a way that we haven't done before.”

The event will form part of an Economic and Social Research Council project. It uses an understanding of psychology to support the effective communication of climate science.

“One issue with trying to talk about climate change is that it is complicated and it seems like it will happen in another place and time, we are just not wired to deal with that,” said social science researcher and Ymlaen Ceredigion Director Rachel Lilley.

“By using a local, relevant and simple story we are making climate science real and meaningful. By opening up the conversation it gives people the opportunity to understand their experiences of extreme weather in different ways,” she added.

Interviews from the four performances will be edited together to form a final piece which will give voice to the thoughts, views and experiences of a whole community.

The events are free of charge and open to everyone. Daytime performances include tea and biscuits, evening performances a glass of wine and nibbles.

Tuesday 25th March
•    1-2pm Aberystwyth University Penbryn, Medrus 1 1-2pm
•    7-8pm Ceredigion Museum, Tuesday 25th March 7-8pm

Wednesday 26th March
•    12.45-1.45pm Ceredigion County Council Offices, Canolfan Rheidol, Meeting room 1
•    7-8pm Talybont Community Hall.

*Sarah Woods has been produced by the RSC, BBC TV and radio. She is currently writing a five part Woman’s Hour series for BBC Radio 4.

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