lectures

Nature Needs You!

Oxford University

July 4

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Described by the RSPB as ‘a voice for nature’, Hannah Bourne-Taylor, author and bird conservationist, has written the extraordinary story of how she became a solo campaigner who created a national campaign to save swifts from extinction.

Hannah’s aim was to try and change the law to make ‘swift bricks’ (that sit flush to the wall and provide a cavity nesting habitat for eight species of urban birds) compulsory in new builds across the UK. This meant she had to raise the requisite 100,000 signatures within six months of launching her campaign petition to trigger a parliamentary debate, an almost impossible target but one Hannah was determined to somehow meet.

Hear Hannah recount how she launched her ‘swift brick’ campaign from scratch in November 2022, without any financial backing, contacts or experience, armed only with her own tenacity, passion, integrity and humour. Launching her campaign by walking naked, painted in swift feathers, hear how she navigated the politics of conservation and the reactions of those at Westminster and the inspiration she drew from others along the way in this lively talk. Includes a chance to buy a signed copy of Hannah’s new book Nature Needs You!.