"It’s fine to just start somewhere": how Chichester Festival Theatre brought Great Big Green Week into the heart of a city
On 6 June 2026, the first day of this year’s Great Big Green Week, an 8ft ethereal puppet named Daniel began making his way through the streets of Chichester - pausing to hand dandelions to passers-by, each one carrying a message of positivity. By the end of the day, 150 Morris dancers were filling Priory Park, a community choir was performing on the Cathedral Green, children were making puppets from recycled materials, and a food waste charity was giving away fresh ingredients from community food hubs.
It was a vibrant example of the kind of positive community action that Great Big Green Week is all about.
Image: Daniel begins his walk through Chichester; © Culture Spark Chichester
Bringing the community in
The Walk of the Dandelion was organised by Angela Buckley, Events Coordinator and Green Book Coordinator at Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT), together with the CFT team. Angela's role sits at the intersection of two things CFT holds at its core: creativity and sustainability. For her, this year's event was about bringing those elements together - and bringing Chichester's community with them.
"We felt on both previous occasions we took part that we really had to bring the community in," she says. "The whole basis around Great Big Green Week is that you celebrate and do it together. The standalone events we ran before weren't quite hitting that."
Image: Morris Dancers take to the streets; © Culture Spark Chichester
Having spotted Daniel the puppet at another event a couple of years earlier, Angela knew she had found the right anchor. "I thought - how lovely would it be to organise a giant puppet walking through town. Firstly because it's so creative, and that's what CFT stands for. But also because Daniel talks about hope and resilience - and those two words in particular, around climate change, really spoke to me."
The result was a free, full-day programme that wove sustainability into every corner of the city: dandelion-making workshops on the Cathedral Green, nature-inspired storytelling and music played on recycled instruments, weaving workshops at Pallant House Gallery, family activities behind the scenes at CFT, and three walks through the city following the Chichester In Bloom trail. Partners included Chichester District Council, Chichester BID, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Cathedral and local food waste charity UK Harvest.
Discovering what was already there
For Angela, one of the most unexpected outcomes was discovering how much was already happening in her own community. "The event really brought everyone together. I know this group's doing seed swaps and this group's doing this - and I just wouldn't have known about some of those initiatives had I not started this off. It made me realise how connected we all are."
Image: Angela Buckley at the Chichester Festival Theatre; © Max MacBride
More than a campaign moment
That sense of connection is something CFT is now actively building on. Sustainability isn't a campaign moment at CFT - it's threaded through the organisation. Almost 50 members of staff have now completed carbon literacy training, a day-long course covering the state of the climate, greenhouse gases and tipping points. "We want everyone to be on the same playing field," Angela explains. "It's one of our core values. If we're going to react as a company, we need everyone to understand why."
The programme continues into the season ahead, with Atlantis - a production exploring rising sea levels - and a Climate Conversations panel discussion on the role of arts and cultural organisations in the climate movement.
Start somewhere
Her advice to anyone considering getting involved in Great Big Green Week for the first time? "It's fine to just start somewhere. We've definitely grown it over quite a few years and then you can feel really confident in your choices - what you want to say as a community, what you want to tackle as a community. It gives you a level to start from."
Inspired by what CFT and organisers like Angela are building? Read more stories from Great Big Green Week 2026 - or if you're ready to start building something in your own community, find out more about our Build. Grow. Lead. organiser programme and join us on the journey to Great Big Green Week 2027.
And if you're based in or around Chichester, CFT's programme continues beyond GBGW. On 28 July at 5pm, they're hosting In Conversation…The Climate Crisis - a panel discussion exploring climate and nature loss, what it means locally, and the role organisations and the arts can play in shaping a more sustainable future. All are welcome.