Protesters went on a funeral march through Maidstone town centre to raise awareness of climate change today.

Members of Extinction Rebellion Maidstone set off from the County Hall and walked through Week Street, down the High Street and up Earl Street, returning to the Kent County Council building, singing, holding a makeshift coffin and waving large banners warning the public about the dangers facing the environment.

Protestors march through Maidstone town centre

Liam Richardson, 20, from Ditton, the organiser of the event, was seen reading out facts about climate change and the group's reasons for marching through a megaphone.

Speaking about the use of a coffin in the march, he said: "There is nothing more sombre than a funeral but that is the reality of it.

"It is obvious we are in a harsh climate emergency and its not just the human race facing extinction but also animals species and ecosystems that are being wiped out."

Some people attended the event dressed in clothes of mourning, with one woman walking alongside the coffin wearing a black veil.

Sam Dickenson, 42, from Maidstone, brought three of her four sons along to the march, who are homeschooled, pushing the youngest, Seth, five, in a pushchair.

Just after he turned four, Seth was diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer and Mrs Dickenson said this experience made her even more passionate about protecting her children's future.

She said: "We spent a year fighting for his life. He is better, which is great, but it feels like we’ve been given a second chance and when you have looked death in the face like that you realise how terrifying the possibility is that the future will not be easy."

She said she joined the march to show her sons that she is standing up for them. "I want to show them that if you believe in something then it is right to stand up for it and to make your voice heard.

"We're not here to upset anyone or create problems. We just want people to be more aware of what is happening and see we're not uncooperative crusties."

Jen Hickey, 37, from Allington, Maidstone, said she joined the march wearing a sign that said 'mother' to dispel the myth that they're all "jobless people with nothing better to do."

The group also staged a die-in outside the Kent County Council building.

Along the way the group were met with some criticism, with several people shouting at them and another stopping them to ask about their motivations for the protest.

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