A VICAR will swap the green hills of Gloucestershire for the banks of the river Seine to demand a clear and binding deal on climate change.

The Reverend Val Bexon will join thousands of other pilgrims calling for a new deal on climate change as world leaders from more than 190 nations prepare to meet in Paris for crucial talks.

She is taking part in the Pilgrimage to Paris initiative, which will see volunteers march more than 200 miles from central London to the French capital.

As the rector of the Ermin West Benefice, she covers nine churches in Cirencester, Gloucester and Stroud - including Edgeworth and Miserden.

Setting off tomorrow (Friday), Val will reach Paris on November 27, just in time for the start of the conference which will see governments meet to decide upon a new global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions.

World leaders, including Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, David Cameron and Narendra Modi, will attend the summit, with the aim of uniting all the world’s nations in a single agreement on tackling climate change.

“We have to protect this planet and more towards more sustainable models of living,” said Val.

“Millions of people in the world’s poorest communities are already seeing their lives devastated by climate change.

“I am very concerned about the careless way we use fossil fuels and my hope is that this conference will produce an agreement that sees countries reducing their carbon emissions.”

Having walked thousands of miles on routes around France, Spain and Portugal before, she is no novice to pilgrimages.

“I have one daughter who lives in Paris, so I will be looking forward to some well-earned home comforts by the time I get there,” she added.

The Church of England, and three relief and development charities, Christian Aid, CAFOD and Tearfund, have organised a Pilgrimage2Paris.

It has also created a petition which will be handed to the executive secretary of the UN conference, Christiana Figueres on November 28 before mass mobilisations which will take place in Paris and London and around the world the following day.

For more details or to sign the petition visit www.christianaid.org.uk/ActNow/climate-justice/