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Reporter Steve Mellen was among the crowds during Greta's speech

The rain came, but not enough to keep the thousands away.

They began gathering just after first light and by the time Greta took to the stage it was hard to see the floor on College Green. And it wasn't just the green, people were clinging to any vantage point they could find.

The roar when the teenage activist stepped in front of the microphone echoed across the city centre, and her speech was regularly punctuates with roars of approval, especially when she mentioned the decision not to grant Bristol Airport planning permission to expand.

There were plenty of parents there and adults who had come to hear Greta speak but the vast majority of the crowd were young.

That's appropriate when you think this movement began when a young girl took a personal decision to stop attending school in protest at what she saw as inaction on the part of global leaders.

Clutching home-made signs and chanting slogans, they then took over Bristol city centre, creating an incredible sight through the heart of the shopping quarter.

It's a day Bristol will not forget easily, despite the rain.