On Wednesday 9th July 2025, Leighton Park English Teacher, Jacqueline Tree, proudly joined thousands of others across the country in a mass climate lobby, calling on the UK Government to take urgent action on climate and nature. Jacqueline worked in collaboration with Greenpeace UK but extended the national initiative and invited our students to partake.
With the government legally required to publish a new climate plan by autumn 2025, the lobby provided a critical opportunity to influence the political agenda. A mass lobby is one of the most effective forms of democratic engagement, when thousands of constituents meet with their MPs to make their voices heard. Leighton Park students rose to the challenge.
In the weeks leading up to the event, students wrote personal letters and created impactful posters urging stronger environmental action. Their work was directed to Olivia Bailey, the Labour MP for Reading, West and Mid Berkshire, who has consistently voted positively on green issues. On the day of the lobby, Jacqueline hand-delivered the students’ letters and artwork to MP Bailey during a meeting at Portcullis House, adjacent to Westminster Hall.
Jacqueline commented after hand delivering students’ letters: “I offered to summarise the letters, but Olivia said she was going to read them all, and offered to visit the school. I think this would be a great opportunity for the students to practise lobbying!”
This campaign gave students a powerful opportunity not just to learn about climate politics, but to actively participate in it. Their creativity and conviction were evident in every letter and poster, and their voices now form part of a growing national call for meaningful change.
The initiative demonstrated our Quaker values in action as a School, promoting peace, sustainability, and social justice. As Leighton Park continues to support environmental responsibility across all areas of school life, this campaign served as a powerful reminder that young people can and must be heard.
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