Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) stood united with thousands of young people at the global climate strike in Oxford today.

Broad Street was awash with a sea of people of all ages carrying placards demanding urgent action for nature’s recovery.

School pupils gave up a day’s education to stand up for the environment, while many parents left work to join them.

The air was filled with chants such as “one, two, three, there is no planet B!”

BBOWT faces heartbreak daily as we see the wildlife we love lost time and time again.  As a movement, the Wildlife Trusts stand united with all those who share our belief that nature is valuable in its own right as well as being essential to our existence.

Matthew Stanton, BBOWT’s Head of Planning, Policy and Advocacy, addressed the crowd.

“We all depend on each other, you, and me, the birds in the sky, the trees all around us and the ants at your feet,” he said.

“We are all connected. We all need and support each other, and like a house of cards, you take one away and the whole thing, the whole world as we know it, comes crashing down.

“Everyone has their role to play. Every business, every organisation, every individual and every politician.

“We need to do all we can to change our own behaviours to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions and negative impact on biodiversity. And where we see politicians not doing all they can, we need to call them out.”

Matthew Stanton said any government that supports building motorways and expressways, expanding airports, and trashing ancient woodland and other carbon storing habitats for high speed rail lines is not taking the climate crisis seriously.

He added that it is not just about reducing our emissions, but it is also about embracing nature and allowing it to combat climate change.

“We need to restore wetlands, forests, meadows and peat bogs, all of which will store carbon to combat climate change and create natural flood defences to protect us from the change that has already happened.”

The Wildlife Trusts tackle this climate and ecological emergency every day wherever we can, but for a healthy natural world we all need to take urgent action for nature’s recovery.

BBOWT will continue to fight for your local environment and will continue to be inspired by your passion.

Our pledge tree was filled with a multitude of promises, such as reducing plastic use, saving electricity and a vow from a young child to buy a hedgehog house for her mother.

Positive actions on a positive, uplifting day for nature.