By Miranda Lewis
On Saturday June 22 I joined with thousands of nature lovers (100,000 at one estimate), from hundreds of different environmental organisations – the Woodland Trust, RSPB, Extinction Rebellion, Friends of the Earth and many more – as we came together for nature and climate at the Restore Nature Now event in central London.
Birds, butterflies, banners and music
This was a noisy, fun, family-friendly affair. There were participants of all ages in fantastic hats and costumes, carrying official banners or homemade placards both celebrating the nature of land, air and water and warning of its demise. Huge birds and butterflies, a giant worm, and even a river flowed along the streets to the sound of the samba band as the march made its way from Park Lane to Parliament Square in a show of strength of feeling for nature.
Donning the pink vest
I’d chosen to volunteer as a steward for the day, a first for me. My team was on tube station duty, welcoming and directing people to the right section of the march. This was followed by a quick dash to Parliament Square in time to greet everyone again as people arrived for the rally with Chris Packham and friends.
My most common question was unsurprisingly: Where’s the nearest toilet? And my most unusual: Where’s Nelson Mandela?
It was an amazing day and a huge success in terms of both numbers of people and the collaboration between such a diverse range of organisations.
Next government must listen: We need to stand up for nature. Now
The UK Government’s own advisors have warned us that we are currently not on track to meet legal targets to restore nature and reduce climate emissions.
The message I took from the speakers at the rally was that we need to really keep pushing whoever our new leaders are for joined-up thinking about climate and nature and for real action combined with urgency.
Hopefully the march sends a strong message to politicians of all parties of our concerns for the devastating ongoing depletion of nature.
Miranda is a writer and nature lover. She is part of the Sutton Wildlife Group and is a keen advocate for all things nature. You can read Miranda’s short stories on her blog. Or follow her on Instagram: @TinyUrbanGarden
Want to get involved in saving nature?
- Volunteer with us
- Join the Sutton Parks and Greenspaces Facebook Group for events across the borough.
- Sign Greenpeace’s restore nature petition
Friends of Poulter Park and Revesby Wood 
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