Hundreds join 'Funeral for Nature' protest

The demonstration took place in Bath on Saturday and included a flash mob by a youth orchestra.

Environmental activists, including TV presenter Chris Packham, have taken part in a mass "funeral" procession.

Starting from the Percy Centre on New King Street, the Funeral for Nature procession took place in Bath on Saturday.

The procession, which aims to raise awareness of the declining natural world, included a performance by activist group the Red Rebels and hundreds of mourners dressed in black.

Mr Packham, who delivered a eulogy at the protest, said: "It's time to fight for nature."

The Red Rebels walked through Bath on Saturday in protest

He added: "I guess we are here to say to people - do you really want to wait until you're attending the real funeral for nature - because it's coming fast."

Mr Packham said some of the UK's wildlife and habitats were in a "last stand situation" and people needed to "act more forthrightly and boldy, bravely, now".

He added: "It's not like we don't have a toolkit to restore, recover, repair and reintroduce nature. We do but we've just got to get on with it.

"I guess we are here to scare people a bit."

Mr Packham said the country should "shut down fossil fuels" and "transition as rapidly as possible to renewables", "address our biodiversity" and make sure "we have "sustainable ecosystems in the future" to avoid "anarchy".

The demonstration included a eulogy delivered by TV presenter Chris Packham

The procession, which finished at the city's historic Abbey, was planned to coincide with Earth Day on Monday and included drummers playing a single funeral beat and a flash mob performance by a youth orchestra.

At the centre of the procession was a funeral bier constructed from willow which featured a Mother Earth figure and was created by artist Anna Gillespie.

Orders of service, which included information about climate change, were also given out to onlookers.

A willow funeral bier featuring a Mother Earth figure was at the centre of the procession

Architect Rob Delius, one of the organisers - who also had the idea for the Funeral for Nature, said he hoped the demonstration "in its beauty and urgency" would "incite action in more cities across the world".

He said: "It is clear that we are in a crisis and there are no second chances - we have to do something immediately."

"We want to see Red Rebels on streets across the globe, spreading the message that if we don’t act now, we won’t be able to act at all," he added.

Hundreds of mourners were dressed in black as part of the demonstration