Extinction Rebellion Woking and Woking Environment Action (WEAct) joined more than 60,000 people on a peaceful, family-friendly march to Parliament Square last month.

The aim was to draw attention to the nature crisis in the UK, one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with one in six species threatened with extinction, and the need for urgent action from our politicians to Restore Nature Now – the name of the demonstration.

Teresa, one of the campaigners, said: “Although alarm bells are ringing, our politicians are ignoring the reality of sewage spills, the harm done to the countryside by expanding urban development and intensive farming, and the continued rise in global temperatures due to the use of fossil fuels.

“The UK is way off target for meeting its own nature recovery targets.”

Mary, another campaigner, added: “Things need to change. In the wake of the general election, every politician needs to know just how much the UK public cares about nature and the threats that it faces.”

A YouGov poll released on 22 May shows that 71% of the public think the Government is not doing enough to protect the environment for the next generation.

Restore Nature Now demanded:

The nature and climate-friendly farming budget to be doubled;

New rules to make polluters contribute to nature and climate recovery;

Expand and improve protected areas, and ensure public land and National Parks contribute more to recovery;

An Environmental Rights Bill which would drive better decisions for nature, improve public health and access to high-quality nature;

Increasing home energy efficiency, supporting active travel and public transport, and replacing polluting fossil fuels with affordable renewables.

Restore Nature Now was organised by, among others, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Extinction Rebellion, Chris Packham, the Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, World Wildlife Fund-UK, the National Trust, Greenpeace and Plantlife.