On the 19th of May, Wild Card assembled the largest ever gathering of people dressed as slugs to call on the government to deliver on its promise to restore the nation’s ‘ghost woods’ (ancient woodlands buried beneath timber plantations) before they disappear for good.

Starting in Parliament Square, we slowly slimed our way to Defra’s offices to deliver the 140,000+ strong petition urging Defra and Forestry England (the body responsible for managing and promoting publicly owned forests in England) to move faster on their commitment to restore these smothered ancient woodlands by 2030. 

We were joined by supportive MP Andrew George, and led by lemon slugs Mal and Sly (birthed by The Lost Giants and The Art Blockers respectively!). Waving placards reading “the slime is up” and “No more sluggish progress”, our unhurried march took place at a critical moment for the nation’s forests, as the government prepares a new Trees Action Plan aimed at improving the resilience and condition of the country’s woodland. We finished at Defra with a slug disco (which drew the attention of Defra staff in a meeting about the Trees Action Plan upstairs!), and handed the petition in to a Defra rep.

We had some amazing coverage and early wins from the slugrising:

• Mal and the rest of the slugs appeared on page 2 (!!!) of The Telegraph the day after the action,
• Judi Dench supported the campaign once more with an op-ed in The Sunday Times,
• Over 30 MPs have joined an Early Day Motion put forward by Andrew George MP after he joined the slugrising,
• Whilst we gathered outside Defra to hand in our 140,000+ strong petition two very supportive staff members came out to chat to us having spent the day in a meeting about priorities for the England Tree Action plan (the plan we are hoping to influence in favour of restoring ancient woodlands!).

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with the nation’s forests in a particularly dire state. A Woodland Trust report found that woodland biodiversity is continuing to decline and that only 9% of England’s forests are in a favourable condition. With ancient woodland capable of supporting more biodiversity than any other land-based habitat in the UK, their restoration has never been so crucial.

A massive thank you to those of you who came down to London for the slugrising. Everyone that came truly embodied the rebellious, joyful, jester-like spirit of Wild Card and we’re massively grateful for your slimy presence!