A giant butterfly swoops behind me, an avocet parades in front, and a penguin tells me to “protect the poles at the polls”. I am walking in the most flamboyant march I have ever attended. As I walked from Marble Arch, I came across two hand-painted placards of a horse in a forest fire and kingfisher wishing for cleaner rivers.
The Restore Nature Now march was very well attended, very beautiful, very spectacular and given very little coverage. When I told some people about its delights, I got a few snippy social media comments from those people who do nothing so are free to criticise everything.
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One of the misconceptions about a march like that for Restore Nature Now is that it is primarily protest. It is important to show the numbers of people who are committed to fighting to preserve nature and make us aware of many scientific issues which are, again, often rarely reported.
It was also wonderful to see the National Trust and Extinction Rebellion under the same umbrella. But perhaps the most important purpose is camaraderie. Many may be fighting alone or in small groups and the rejuvenating energy that comes from a mass gathering is vital.
What made this my favourite day of the year was a collision on Piccadilly. As we walked east, we were met by a procession going west. No kingfishers on their placards. What they held aloft was a little more roughshod, but equally full of strength and intention.
