A group of activists is planning to march through York city centre.

Extinction Rebellion York (XR York) will march from St Helen’s Square to Millennium Bridge as part of a nature march on Sunday, July 21, at 1.30pm.

Environmental groups from across York such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the Yorkshire Rewilding Network, have been invited to take part. 

Marchers will wear costumes or carry props relating to different species, and the action will end with a family-friendly picnic at Millennium Fields.

The march is a local follow-on from last month’s Restore Nature Now march in London, which was the biggest protest for nature in history, with 100,000 people joining Extinction Rebellion.

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An XR York spokesperson said: "It’s vital to protect the natural world around us and halt the devastating loss of biodiversity that we’re seeing.

"The massive Restore Nature Now march in London proved that the public cares about nature and so now is the time to keep up that pressure on local and national governments. We invite the people of York to join us and speak up for the natural world."

The marchers are calling for more funding for nature-friendly farming, clean-up fines for polluters, the expansion and improvement of protected areas and public land, and the right to a healthy environment (in the form of clean air and water and equitable access to land) being enshrined in law.

The activists are also calling for fair and effective climate action that reduces emissions by half or more by 2030 in order to protect habitats and species.