Members of the Warwick and Leamington Green Party will be among those marching from Bath Place Community Venture to the town hall to campaign against climate change.

They will give out leaflets using the proposed Clarendon Arcade shopping centre to illustrate the impacts of burning fossil fuels.

Alison Smith from campaign group Rising Tide said: “We wanted to highlight something tangible in Leamington that people can relate to.

“Shopping centres like these mean more people driving their cars, causing extra pollution and buying goods sold in packaging made from oil products.

“The fools idea is a light-hearted jest on April Fools’ Day, about the root causes of climate change, which hopefully lots of people will join in with.

“Even if we can get them to walk just five steps with us that will be great.

“People are increasingly aware there is a real problem and we want to help them make that link.”

Marchers will dress up as fools and circus performers and hold slogan-bearing umbrellas and signs in what is part of a national programme of events.

It begins at Bath Place Community Venture at 12.30pm and will reach the town hall at around 1.30pm.

If it makes it through the planning process, Clarendon Arcade will include around 35 shops on two levels as well as a ‘major’ department store, nine apartments and three levels of car parking on the current site of the Chandos Street car park.

It will be bigger than the Royal Priors and is expected to be complete by 2012.

Speaking last year, Wilson Bowden spokeswoman Claire Burrell said: “With any development we carry out an environmental impact assessment, which is something also required by planning guidance. It covers all areas including impact on traffic, sustainability and wildlife.”