The image of a seed is a powerful one. That a huge, craggy oak tree begins life as a tiny acorn, seems improbable, bordering on miraculous.  It reminds us of the creative potential of small things, and there can be no better antidote to despair.

Facing up to to the fact that normal lifestyles are wreaking havoc with the climate and offering death and misery to the poorest and most vulnerable people on our planet is a huge challenge.  There is no escaping the shame and grief that this realisation brings.  But we can move on, in the confident belief that small local actions can transform and heal.