Sir David Attenborough’s warning of a climate emergency, high-profile national protests and campaigns by schoolchildren have helped trigger a Green revolution in Cumbria.

Last week’s local elections saw four Green Party councillors elected across the county - one in Carlisle, two in Eden and another in South Lakes.

Their candidates were also close in several other wards, with Wade Tidbury missing out by just five votes in Lazonby, while nationally the party gained 184 new council seats.

In Carlisle, one of the biggest shocks of the election saw local environmental campaigner Helen Davison finally secure a place on the city council after standing several times - ousting long-serving Conservative and former mayor Trish Vasey in the new Belah and Kingmoor ward.

Although not elected, Sharon Seymour came close in Brampton and Fellside, while a number of Green candidates also secured strong fourth place results.

In Eden, town councillor Doug Lawson was elected to represent Penrith Carleton on the district council, while Ali Ross won a seat in Penrith North.

And in South Lakeland, Judy Filmore took a seat from the Conservatives following a recount.

The Conservatives and Labour both lost ground locally and nationally, giving way to a rise of independent candidates and other parties. Many have blamed the ongoing Brexit saga, while local issues - such as the controversial Carlisle incinerator and Penrith masterplan - also played a part.

But Mr Lawson believes it is about a much deeper dissatisfaction with politics.

“There’s definitely been a swing. Even during the general election people were telling us they wanted something different,” he said.”It’s easy to point the finger at Brexit or the masterplan, but I think they are symptoms of broken politics. People wanted something new.

“We have been picking up votes from a variety of people. A lot of people have seen David Attenborough’s documentaries and realised how much the environment matters. Others said they would vote Liberal Democrat but there was no candidate, so they were voting Green instead. There were also lifetime Conservative supporters who said they’d never vote for them again.”

Dr Davison said that although the national and global factors played a big part, the Greens are also connecting with voters on community issues - and can see local solutions that benefit the environment and the area.

“I believe this was down to ongoing work with local residents about issues that really matter to them. In Carlisle this was in particular opposing the plans to build a waste to energy incinerator far too close to homes and schools,” she said.

“Recent actions by Extinction Rebellion and the school strikers have been a powerful force in building awareness of climate chaos. The solutions to this threat are mostly local ones that will also improve our quality of life.”

In Eden, Green candidates have been involved in everything from litter-picking to school cuts protests, and they say this has been well received by local voters.

Ms Ross said: “The Green Party in Penrith and Eden is relatively young. We’ve only been active for two and a half years, but we’ve been very busy. People can see we were contributing to the debate and care about local issues.”

Going forward, the four Cumbrian Greens will be prioritising the current climate emergency, and hope support will continue.

“What we’ve seen is, where the Green Party has got a foothold on councils, we’ve experienced growth. It hasn’t just been a flash in the pan. These councillors are proving their worth,” she added.