A WREXHAM schoolgirl has held the first of many 'Climate Strikes' in the county and says officials are "destroying our future". 

Lily Simpson, 18, a pupil at Ysgol Morgan Lwyd, said she was inspired to hold Wrexham's first protest by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who founded the movement, with thousands of young people now striking around the world to make it clear they want action on climate change.

The protest took place on Friday afternoon at Llwyn Isaf, with several of Lily's schoolmates and prominent local politicians coming out from the Guildhall to offer their solidarity and support of the demonstration.

Lily said: "We feel that officials in charge and the older generation have been failing us by destroying our future and we are no longer willing to let that be the case.

"The change in climate is affecting people and animals already, it’s not a problem we can continue to ignore. I went to the strike protest last month in Manchester and realised how much awareness was raised just from that one event.

"I figured that by starting a protest closer to home in Wrexham our message would reach an even wider group of people."

The main demands of the young people involved are for the government to declare a climate emergency and prioritise the protection of all life on earth and take active steps to achieve climate justice.

Lily added: "Many scientists have proven that what is happening now isn't just an average skew in the climate and that we are actually causing this.

"We need to think about the fact this effects more than just human beings and has impact on everything living on earth."

With calls to reform the school curriculum to address the ecological crisis as an education priority and for the government to recognise that young people have the biggest stake in the planets future, the group would also like the voting age down to 16.

Rhian Pumford, 17, echoed her fellow pupils comments, she said: "We wanted to hold one of these protests near us, because the climate is changing so fast and nothing's being done.

"The government seem to think that it's something that will just go away, but it's won't unless we do something about it."

Her calls were backed by Councillor Carrie Harper, Plaid Cymru's Chair of Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee on Wrexham Council.

She said: "I can't think of a more important lesson for young people to learn than organising for themselves to save the planet.

"From speaking to the protest organiser, I can see that it's a peaceful event and is all about raising awareness about the situation we face in terms of climate change.

"They have the full support of the Plaid Cymru group of councillors."

Lily and her friends are planning further protests over the coming weeks and months, with the next event taking place in the same venue next week, during the Easter holiday.