As we say goodbye to 2025, it’s worth acknowledging all that we achieved last year – see our review of the year below. A big well done and thanks to all of you!

For 2026, the theme coming up over and over, across all sectors, is one of building unity and connections in our communities and fostering local support and resilience. This will be among XR Leeds’ activities too in the coming months – growing our connections and envisioning what a better world might look like. Plus helping to build the momentum locally for the National Emergency Briefing campaign (see below).

We’d love to welcome more of you into our organising and coordinating team this year, so get in touch if you are interested in becoming more involved. We’d also like to hear about what you’re already doing in your community so we can help you spread the word.

Contact us: xrleeds@protonmail.com  

In this newsletter

Coming up this month

Sunday, 11th & 25th January, 6.30pm-8pm (online): XR North’s Community Building training team continue their workshops designed to resist the politics of division and build our communities. Find out more and register here.

Wednesday, 14th January, 5.30pm-8pm: Green Drinks Leeds at Imagine Leeds, 9 Blenheim Terrace, Leeds LS2 9HZ. Meet up with XR Leeds members and other environmentally-minded folks and groups from across the city. Drinks, nibbles, plus a pub quiz! This month’s speaker is Lucy Meredith from Leeds Community Energy. Full details and free tickets here.

Tuesday, 20th January, 7.30pm online: Campaign for Climate Action from West Yorkshire Mayor. Join campaigners across West Yorkshire to develop a strategy to encourage climate action from WY Mayor Tracy Brabin and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Monday, 26th January, 6pm-8pm: XR Leeds 2026 Planning Meeting at Imagine Leeds, 9 Blenheim Terrace, Leeds LS2 9HZ. Join us as we discuss what our priorities should be this year. Among other things, we’ll be looking at ways we can promote the imminent National Emergency Briefing film (see below) and further develop our community building throughout the city.

Dates for your diary in early 2026

Saturday 21st February: some of us are a little too old for this (sigh) but if you or anyone you know is under 30, check out this event. The annual activist gathering of the youth division of Global Justice Now is happening in Leeds from noon on 21st February at the Leeds Cardigan Centre, LS6 1LJ. More details and free tickets here.

Saturday, 7th and 21st February, Sheffield (exact location given once signed up): the first 2026 PANDA workshops are now open! PANDA is Protesting At-height Northern Development for Activists 🐼,  an independent grassroots space to practice, share and gain skills in protesting at height. If you’re interested you can sign up here.

Sunday, 8th February (time to be confirmed): XR’s Disobedience Dance Training is coming to Leeds – if you’re interested, please get in touch: xrleeds@protonmail.com

Saturday, 21 February, 10.30am-12noon (online): Anne-Lise’s next 6-week Active Hope Book Course begins – look out for details in our next newsletter.

Saturday, 22 March, World Water Day, XR’s World Water Wedding Day: if you fancy doing something for your local waterway, please let us know: xrleeds@protonmail.com. For some inspiration, here’s a compilation video made by XR Ilkley’s Em and Mark of their recent epic River Wharfe walk, for the World Water Wedding campaign, complete with a poem written specially for them. 💙. For some inspiration, here’s a compilation video made by XR Ilkley’s Em and Mark of their recent epic River Wharfe walk, for the World Water Wedding campaign, complete with a poem written specially for them. 💙

Saturday, 28 March, Together Against the Far Right March, London: find out more here.

National Emergency Briefing

Momentum is building to put pressure on our main media broadcasters to hold a National Emergency Briefing on TV on the issues raised in November’s climate emergency briefing. If you want to stay informed and involved, you can join the Whatsapp group here.

There are plans afoot to produce a film (long and short versions) which can be shown at local events and shared among communities. Watch out for an announcement in the coming weeks.

What can you do right now?

  • Watch, like, comment on and then share the 11 short NEB videos on YouTube.
  • Sign and share the open letter to Keir Starmer and the national broadcasters calling for a televised emergency briefing

Stop gagging the truth!

XR Leeds – 2025 Highlights

A brief round-up of all we did last year!

  • January – supported Zero Hour’s Climate & Nature Bill at its second reading in Parliament, which was later adjourned to July.
  • February – supported Drax campaigner Diana Warner at her Leeds Crown Court trial and held a “Funeral for Trees” action in Leeds. Plus we supported protests against the felling of the Tittybottle Oak in Otley.
  • March – took part in the Climate Meeting with MPs at Leeds Museum and supported Diana Warner at her verdict hearing in Leeds Crown Court. Supported GALBA at the public inquiry into unlawful night flights at Leeds Bradford Airport.
  • May – joined protests against the proposed disability cuts; supported “Rave on the Avon” film showing and discussion at the Hyde Park Picture House; supported a celebration of community action at the Leeds African & Caribbean Centre; held a “Bring & Pay as You Feel” fundraiser for local climate action at Imagine Leeds.
  • June – ran outreach stalls at Woodhouse & Hyde Park Green Fayre and the Beeston Festival; supported the “We Demand Change” Leeds & West Yorkshire Summit; six of our lovely Leeds rebels were featured in a Yorkshire Evening Post double spread!
  • July – supported Imagine Leeds’ “Exhibitions of Change”; supported the Mass Lobby of MPs at Westminster; ran an outreach stall at Kirkstall Festival; supported XR’s Heat Strike Week in collaboration with the TUC; got together with other XR North local groups at a summer gathering in Ilkley.
  • August – helped to run the Campaigns Area at The Northern Green Gathering; made a lot of flags & banners!
  • September – supported the Climate Coalition’s Mass Lobby Week; supported the Make Them Pay campaign and march; supported the Drax 15 at Leeds Magistrates Court; held Insure Our Survival actions in Leeds.
  • October – supported the Stand Up to Racism protest in Leeds; helped the Climate Justice Coalition to plan the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice in Leeds and made loads of placards with Leeds Crafitivists!
  • November – helped to run and joined the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice march, stalls and speakers in Leeds, marking the mid-point of the COP30 negotiations in Brazil.
  • December – joined the campaign for National Emergency Briefing’s televised events; ran an outreach stall at Hinsley Hall’s Eco-Fair

Petition – stop the oil giants’ tax dodge!

Oil giants Shell and Equinor are merging their North Sea operations into one giant oil and gas company called Adura. Why? It seems like they’re trying to dodge £1.3 billion in UK tax revenue – money that could fund critical public services and climate action.

It’s daylight robbery. But the Chancellor and the Treasury can stop it.

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has the power to intervene, investigate this merger, and close the tax loophole. But she needs to know it’s important to the public. The Government has said it wants the UK to lead on climate action but it seems to be doing the exact opposite. They’re allowing a big tax break for new drilling when we need to be investing in affordable, homegrown renewable energy.

Shell and Equinor already have some of the biggest fossil fuel footprints in the UK. This new, combined company would make it the largest producer in the North Sea. Adura will control oil and gas fields like Rosebank and Jackdaw (if they go ahead), along with dozens of others.

Rachel Reeves should listen to taxpayers, not massive oil companies like Shell trying to pay less tax so they can continue raking in record profits. We’re joining calls from the Stop Rosebank campaign and Global Witness, asking the Treasury to intervene and plug this gaping tax loophole.

Please sign and share the petition here.


Stop airport expansion

Sadly, The Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport’s legal challenge against the government’s reckless and irresponsible Jet Zero Strategy is at an end. The Court of Appeal rejected their challenge in December. But GALBA is still very active!

Soon, Leeds Bradford Airport is going to make a planning application to rewrite the rules that put a cap on the number of flights allowed at night. This would be bad news for air quality, people living under the flight path and, of course, the climate.

If LBA’s plans go ahead, the number of night flights in the summer would more than double – from 2,800 to over 7,000. GALBA is gearing up to fight the airport’s expansion plans. If you’re not a GALBA member, it’s free and only takes a couple of minutes to fill in the form.