A FLOCK of puffins will be heading to London from west Wales later this month.
They will be sitting on the heads of people from Pembrokeshire, south Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire who are going to join the mass ‘Restore Nature Now’ demonstration.
The June 22 event, jointly organised by the RSPB, The National Trust, Friends of the Earth, The Wildlife Trusts, The Woodland Trust, WWF, Extinction Rebellion, and other movements, will be addressed by broadcaster and naturalist Chris Packham.
A coach has been arranged to ferry local demonstrators to London and seats are filling up fast.
A local organiser, Philippa Gibson of the West Wales Climate Coalition, said: “So many people feel really strongly about the many threats to nature. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
“Rivers choking on pollution, precious woodlands destroyed, seas overfished and peat bogs burned - nature in the UK is being assaulted.
“The Restore Nature Now demonstration will be legal, peaceful, and family-friendly. It will be a celebration of nature as well as calling for policy changes to protect nature.
“We’re all being encouraged to dress up to represent any part of nature which is important to us.
“Those coming from west Wales will mainly be wearing puffin head-dresses, but people can go as any aspect of nature, or just go as themselves.”
The RSPB report that warmer seas have led to a reduction in the numbers of puffins near the coastline and that systematic overfishing is further depriving species, like puffins, which are already threatened with extinction.
David and Linda Grace from Cardigan went on a similar demonstration to London last year, focusing on the climate crisis.
“It was the first big demonstration we’d ever been to together”, said Mr Grace. “Although it was a long day, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
“There was a fantastic atmosphere and we were able to add our voices to the call for action by those in power.
“Because of my ill health, we’re disappointed that we won’t be able to go this year, but we’ll be supporting it in any way we can from home, such as by helping to spread the word about it.”
Another of the organisers from the West Wales Climate Coalition, Jane Mansfield, will be running a workshop session to make more puffin head-dresses.
“We’ll meet in Cardigan on Friday evening, June 7, and work together to make as many puffin heads as we can for all those going on the coach,” she said.
“Anyone interested can get in touch on cardiganxr@protonmail.com or 07787 197630 - either to book a place on the coach or to find out about making puffin heads.”
More details are on the Restore Nature Now website: restorenaturenow.com and the coach details are here: tinyurl.com/RestoreNatureCoach
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