At the Heart of Parliament: communities showing the love

Photo Credit: Mark Chilvers Photographer Limited. 

Every February, people across the UK come together to Show The Love, sharing green hearts as a symbol of what’s at the heart of the future they want to protect.

From green hearts projected onto town halls, to hand-knitted hearts decorating postboxes, to hundreds of postcards landing on MPs’ desks, people have found ways to Show the Love that feels right for them and their communities.

Photo credits (starting bottom left to clockwise): Melksham Environment Group / Light Fantastic; Climate Hub; Make N Munch Worthing; Bawtry Women’s Institute; Eco Cafe St Albans; Repair Cafe Portsmouth; The Climate Coalition. 

Each green heart carries a story about what matters most — our homes, our health, our countryside, our livelihoods and the future we pass on.

Photo: Representatives of Astons Outdoors, the Churn Benefice, the Springline Project and Bioabundance
gathered at St Michael’s Church Aston Tirrold on Valentine’s Day for Show the Love. 

People across the UK have been sharing those stories directly with their politicians in lots of different ways - from encouraging them to record videos wearing handmade green hearts, to sending more than 400 green heart postcards to politicians across the country. Together, they’ve sent a clear message: stand with us for a healthier, fairer, safer future.

And last week, that clear call for a healthier, fairer, safer future was brought directly into the Houses of Parliament.

Bringing community voices into the heart of power

In partnership with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change, we gathered in Westminster with MPs and speakers from across the UK to talk about what’s at the heart of a healthier, fairer, safer future.

We heard from:

• Andrew Weston from the Co-op, on businesses working with - and for - people and planet
• Dr Emma Radcliffe from the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, on the intrinsic links between public health crises and climate change, the health case for action, and need for green, public spaces 
• Andrew and Astrid Stubbings, National Trust tenant farmers, on caring for land in ways that support both nature and livelihoods
• Ellie Wood and Mahmoud Jalloh from a school Eco Team, on youth leadership and hope
• Shaz Rahman from Community Energy Birmingham, on clean, affordable energy strengthening communities
• And Abbiott in Dire Woreda, Southern Ethiopia, who shared the realities of drought and the power of local climate action and resilience

Ellie and Mahmoud telling MPs what’s at the heart of the future they want to see. Photo credit: Mark Chilvers Photographer Ltd.

The discussion stayed grounded in everyday realities.

It wasn’t about labels or slogans - it was about homes, health, livelihoods and the future we’re building, together. 

At a time when climate anxiety weighs heavily - particularly for young people - it was powerful to see that sense of overwhelm replaced with something else: evidence of action. Evidence of leadership. Evidence of care being turned into campaigns for change.

It reminded everyone present that climate and nature action isn’t niche - and it isn’t a single-issue. It’s about the everyday building blocks of healthy, thriving communities, wherever we live: warm homes, clean air, secure jobs, thriving countryside and strong local economies.

And change is already happening.

• Luke Murphy MP (Labour)
• Paul Waugh MP (Labour)
• Taiwo Owatemi MP (Labour)
• Ellie Chowns MP (Green)
• Adrian Ramsay MP (Green)
• Pippa Heylings MP (Liberal Democrat)
• Katie White MP (Labour – represented by a member of staff)

Showing the mandate for action

Show the Love exists to sustain visibility and connection - to show leaders that people across the UK care deeply about climate and nature, and that this care is mainstream.

The parliamentary event wasn’t a one-off. It was a reflection of what is happening across the country.

Every green heart sent to an MP through our digital postcard action carries a story. Every school assembly, community gathering, and local social media post contributes to a much bigger picture: a clear, cross-community mandate for action.

People want a healthier, fairer, safer future.

• They want clean, affordable energy.
• They want farming that supports nature and livelihoods.
• They want businesses to lead responsibly.
• They want communities that can live healthy, happy lives with access to green spaces.
• They want global solidarity with communities already facing the harshest impacts of climate change.

And they want political leadership that matches the care already being shown in towns, villages and cities across the UK.

What happens next

The stories shared in Parliament will continue to shape conversations with MPs and politicians across the UK. The postcards and green hearts landing in offices will open doors to further dialogue. And the energy from this February will carry forward into the months ahead.

Because at the heart of progress is connection.

At the heart of hope is action.

And at the heart of a healthier, fairer, safer future is climate and nature action.

The next opportunity to turn that care into visible community action will come during Great Big Green Week - when 2 million people across the UK will come together to celebrate the action they’re taking in their community. We hope you’ll be part of it! Sign up to our mailing list to hear more.

Thank you to everyone who shared a green heart this year. The message is clear - and it’s being heard.

#ShowTheLove2026