SCHOOLCHILDREN from Warrington joined youngsters from around the world skipping classes today to take to the streets to protest against their governments' failure to take sufficient action against global warming.

The co-ordinated 'school strikes', being held from the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle, were inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year.

Since then, the weekly protests have snowballed from a handful of cities to hundreds, driven by social media-savvy students and dramatic headlines about the impact of climate change.

At 12pm in Bank Park, a group of children from across Warrington and surrounding areas joined with the #youthstrike4climate, which took place across the world, today. 

Young people were in more than 1000 locations across the globe and more than 100 towns and cities across the UK. 

With chants of "Sea levels are rising, but so are we!", the young people in Warrington marched from the Town Hall to the town centre, rounding off the protest with a 'picnic with placards' and a visit from Warrington South MP Faisal Rashid. 

Their chants were met with shouts of encouragement and praise from passing shoppers. 

Lymm mum Hazel Hughes facilitated the strike with a group of friends, after her kids asked if they could take part.

She said: ""The kids read about the youth strikes in a magazine, and asked me if they could join in. I fully support the young people in their brave and peaceful demonstrations.

"They won't be able to vote for nearly a decade, and yet they are the ones who will inherit this planet, whatever state we leave it in. This is their way of making their voices heard, and I stand with them". 

Warrington Guardian:

Today's rallies are expected to be one of the biggest international actions yet.

Protests were being held in cities in more than 100 countries including Hong Kong, India and Finland.

Warrington Guardian:

In Warrington, protestors gathered outside Warrington Town Hall waving handmade banners and placards and shouting chants including 'The seas are rising and so are we!'

Warrington Guardian: