Restore Nature Now March

On Saturday 22nd June 2024 the ‘Restore Nature Now’ march was held in London. I had wanted to go and I was pleased when Rosey from GFFOE and a friend from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said that they would come too. We set off for London on the coach and arrived at the start of the march to a great atmosphere amongst crowds of like-minded people. The weather was kind to us too. It was uplifting to see that so many other people from around the UK cared about the state of our nature, because we are one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. There were people in fancy dress, people holding large banners and creatively made animals held high on large poles.

Chris Packham had organised the march and it was supported by well known environmentalists such as Meghan McCubbin, Steve Backshall, Emma Thompson and Dr Amir Khan to name a few. Altogether there were over 60,000 people and over 400 organisations taking part. The march started in Park Lane and ended on the green opposite the Houses of Parliament where speeches were given by leading environmentalists. As one of them was speaking 2 peregrine falcons flew overhead and settled on Parliament building, as if to give support to our mission. They lifted our spirits and helped to reaffirm why we were there.

Those of us who attended felt that we had achieved something by standing up for nature in solidarity with others. At times it can be frustrating and overwhelming when faced with the current state of our environment. The hope is that if we all act, even in a small way, that change can be achieved. We now need the Government to take note and put legislation in place to restore nature and we as individuals need to keep the pressure on them to ensure that this happens.

Elaine Johnson