If you talk the talk, it's important to walk the walk as well, and on Saturday 22nd June, we marched! With a 30-person coach booked from Birmingham, our staff, members and supporters travelled together to London to join what promised to be the UK's biggest ever march for nature. For people and planet, for wildlife and wild spaces, for our future and yours, we made the journey to ask one thing of our politicians: RESTORE NATURE NOW!

Upon arrival in London, we began the walk down Park Lane to our allocated position in the march. As we walked, the call went up that the road had been closed to traffic, and a swell of people began to leave the pavement to walk in the road itself. It was at this point that the size of the event began to become apparent. The swell gave way to wave upon wave of people, placards, banners and costumes - something was happening here that has not always been the case at marches for nature. This felt big. Perhaps, at last, a sleeping giant was beginning to stir.

Official estimates now confirm that there were between 60,000 - 80,000 people in attendance, and wherever the exact figure lies, this was a seismic moment. More than 350 organisations were here – 40 Wildlife Trusts from as far away as Ulster, the RSPB, National Trust, Woodland Trust and Friends of the Earth, side by side with groups whose aims and methods were wide and diverse. Today though, we marched together, marched as one. Alongside us were scientists and singers, actors and activists, conservationists and concerned citizens. They came from all corners, from all walks of life, but their message – our message – was the same: Restore Nature Now.

As the march set off from Hyde Park Corner to our destination of Parliament Square, it was quiet at first. Perhaps it was politeness which deterred people from raising their voices, or for many simply the fact that they had never before been motivated to march. This was at its very heart a green and pleasant protest, a collective celebration of nature, a sea of smiling faces which belied our serious message. And for just a little while, as we marched, hope surrounded us. There was an undeniable sense of camaraderie and kinship between those of us who came here to be together with the same goal in mind. Here we are, look at us. And before long we found our voices, we clapped, cheered and chanted as we went along - look at us. LISTEN TO US!

Upon arrival in Parliament Square, we took up our position at the rally itself. Compered by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin, we heard from Steve Backshall, Dr Amir Khan, Feargal Sharkey, Liz Bonnin, Craig Bennett of The Wildlife Trusts and many more varied and brilliant speakers, each of them united by passion and concern for our natural world. In front of our group, bees and hoverflies darted over a small patch of lavender, and above us three peregrine falcons soared and swooped across the sky - beautiful, brilliant reminders of the wonderful wild world which brought us here. The speeches were empowering and moving, tears were shed, laughter shared and above all, the many thousands of people in attendance were united.

We came to ask out future politicians to restore nature now, and for the time being we can only hope they listened. The event drew widespread media coverage from the likes of the Guardian, Independent, Channel 4 and ITV, but little or no mention from other mainstream publications may suggest that we have not reached the media tipping point that change so often needs. Yet this event was not a time to be despondant. If today we brought 350 organisations and 60,000 people, we know tomorrow we can bring more. If you could not be with us this time, be with us at the next. We must march and we must speak until they cannot help but listen. 

If the call goes out to march again, we will answer it.

This is not the beginning of the end, this is the start of a wilder future.

I need you to make a promise today. If, under a new government, (these problems are) not resolved in a meaningful, proactive, driven, ambitious way, with a government with a vision and determination, then we will want change and we will want change for a second time. And if the needs be, promise me you will be back here again, two times more, three times more, and if need be we will be back here one hundred times and bring a million people.

Feargal Sharkey