Campaigning for Birds
I launched the ongoing national swift brick campaign in 2022, almost naked, as a solo, unfunded campaigner with a petition that ended up being the fastest growing government petition at the time, accumulating almost 110,000 signatures. Since then, the environmental sector, including Natural England, have unanimously supported mandating swift bricks but successive governments have U-turned on their decisions, despite members from every political party, from the Greens to Reform, advocating for this simple yet vital measure. In January 2026, Scotland passed legislation to mandate swift bricks and the campaign continues seeking to achieve the same legislation in England, Wales and the rest of the world.
Part of the reason why I wrote Nature Needs You - The Fight To Save Our Swifts, is because I am constantly asked to advise people about everything from how to approach their own MPs to local swift conservation. Everything you need to know about swifts, and the campaign, including where to put a swift brick or box, is in the book.
The campaign has many champions from the Environment Minister of Gibraltar, Professor John Cortes (who secured cavity nesting habitat there and stablised swift populations) to the late Dr Jane Goodall, DBE and Jeremy Clarkson, and is led by Former Environment Minister and Life Peer, Zac Goldsmith (shown in the photo, accompanying me to a government meeting).
I am proud to be considered a change maker, included in the ENDS Report Power List of Environmental Campaigners.
Campaign Launch Video
On 5th November, 2022, I launched the national swift brick campaign by delivering ‘The Feather Speech’ at Speaker’s Corner, Hyde Park, London, almost naked. It rained but the press I knew I needed to secure to have a hope in hell of gathering 100,000 signatures in just 6 months, turned up, translating into national coverage, marking the begining of what has become one of the most widely known nature campaigns in the UK.
This is a two minute film of the launch.
Yes, I was cold.
If you’re wondering whether I would do it again, I have done. In February 2024, I walked to a government meeting, accompanied by Zac Goldsmith in an unprecedented show of alliance.