Nature campaigners take over council meeting

Crowds of actors dressed in nature inspired costumes for the event

Amateur actors wore nature inspired costumes to a council meeting in a bid to give a voice to Southampton's non-human residents.

Campaigners wanting to make Southampton a National Park City aired their concerns at an "interspecies democracy meeting" on Thursday.

It was part of the week-long Urban Wild festival that culminates with an event at Southampton Common on Sunday.

The group said its vision was for an urban setting where where people, culture and nature coexist harmoniously.

Christelle Blunden is the chair of Southampton National Park City

It proposed policies to protect the city's flora, fauna and the River Itchen.

Christelle Blunden, the group's chair who dressed as a river for the event, said: "Southampton is particularly unique - we have a chalk stream here which is a birthplace for Atlantic salmon.

"We have some unique habitats and it's looking at how we can gather momentum around the idea of looking at our natural heritage in the same way you would a national park."

She added that the event was about looking at "how other species contribute to our lives and how we can manage those relationships better".

Councillor Dave Shields, the outgoing lord mayor, got involved with the play

Campaigners created nature inspired outfits

Speaking from the Civic Centre, Councillor John Savage, cabinet member for Green City and Net Zero, said: "We're doing an awful lot to make sure that we maintain and keep the green infrastructure across Southampton and develop it more."

He suggested interconnecting the greenways around the city, making it easier for creatures to travel.

Councillor Dave Shields, the outgoing lord mayor, got involved with the performance and dressed as an owl for the occasion.

"We need to protect our environment, we need to be addressing net zero, we need to be taking more action to protect our wonderful biodiversity," he said.