Sitting in the van waiting for the signal; the helmet camera is turned on, the video camera in my hand is running but until the door opens there’s nothing but nerves. Seconds later 3 blockers and a team of 8 climbers running forward, everyone with a specific role, mine as the film man.
We need to be on the roof at the front of the national portrait gallery to hang a banner fast. Between where we are sitting and the ‘safety’ of the portico roof is an assault course of obstacles and potentially a large number of security personnel who may consider it their job to stop us. This building being home to a wealth of priceless treasures of inconceivable value.
The first seconds are crucial, there’s two crash barrier and a security centre between us and the first bit of climbing and there’s a lot of gear to be carried. I quite like the nervous tension but there’s just a little bit too much adrenaline. It’s nerve racking, and too much depends on us getting it right/
Hanging this banner is Important. Shell are about to host a swanky invite only reception for 300 influential people. They probably don’t plan to mention that they are about to start drilling for oil in the arctic. They are less likely to mention that if they have an oil spill, their plan for cleaning it up is wholly inadequate, and I’m certain they are not about to mention that burning the billions of barrels of oil from the arctic will drive us closer to runaway climate change, closer to an uninhabitable earth.
That’s what we are here for; to help remind them and their guests, and that’s why we have to get this banner hanging just right.
Flashing back - the reason why I’m sitting in this van, is because a few years ago, shortly after the birth of my first son, I knew that I had to get involved to protect his future. For years I had admired and respected what Greenpeace do, for years I had supported the organisation finally, but then I realised that for me, this was no longer enough.
So I joined my local group in Oxford, I volunteered for whatever and whenever I could, and more. Then after proving myself reliable, capable and trustworthy, I was invited to join the UK climb team.
Climbing with Greenpeace involves a lot of training, and training hard. It is critically important that what we do remains safe, not just for us but for everyone involved. The safety of the public, the security and the police is more important that the action, and we have to get this 100% right.
Back to the van - the door opens and we’re away, over the car parking barrier past the security office up 4 storeys of spiral fire escape, assemble the 6 sections of ladder , one by one climb the ladder onto the roof, and……we are actually on the roof!
Part of me can’t believe it has gone so well, it shouldn't be this easy.
But what a roof! it stretches out in front of me like a landscape. Roofs at all angles, a maze of walkways, glass sections, flat roofs, pitched roofs, leaded roofs, and towers. Dotted across it are the little figures of the rest of the team, waiting at each high point until the person behind has seen which way to go.
We swiftly make our way forwards, me stopping occasionally to film the others, keeping a constant eye our for security who may appear from any direction and block our path. Then here we are, all 8 climbers at the front of the building, a tricky little climb over a wall and down and we are on the portico roof.
Safe! Trafalgar square spreads out in front of us, some of the team are already rigging the ropes, it is under 10 minutes since the van door opened, and then just then, our first security guard appears to looks over the wall at us
“I hope you are proud of yourselves” he says – I think he meant it, in a nice way.
If you would like to get involved with Greenpeace campaigns then we need more than photographers and climbers We need passionate people to meet local MPs, to organise local fundraising events, to help out at festivals, to help poke fun at big corporations on Facebook, and we need your help to talk to your friends and family about what you believe in.
Please get involved, find your local group / network, go along to the next meeting, volunteer to help out and have fun doing so.
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