Building Political Momentum for the Climate and Nature Bill

Our approach

Rather than focusing on one-off lobbying activity, we designed a scalable "Train the Trainer" programme that would build long-term advocacy capacity within the movement.

Fifteen campaigners took part in an intensive programme covering:

• Researching politicians and understanding political motivations

• Building productive relationships with MPs and candidates

• Developing SMART political asks

• Facilitating training and sharing skills with others

• Scaling advocacy efforts through local communities

Midway through the programme, a General Election was called.

We rapidly adapted the training to focus on engaging Prospective Parliamentary Candidates, ensuring campaigners could continue building political support during a rapidly changing political landscape. Participants received ongoing strategic advice and real-time support throughout the election period.

National campaign. Local influence.

One of the strengths of our model is our ability to zoom in and zoom out. We help national campaigns build broad-based advocacy capacity, while also identifying specific political opportunities where targeted constituent engagement can make the difference. In this case, we worked with campaigners in South Cotswolds to build constructive engagement with Roz Savage, ensuring she heard directly from local constituents calling for stronger climate and nature legislation.

The outcome

The programme helped campaigners engage decision-makers more effectively and contributed to one of the most significant milestones in the campaign's history.

Following sustained engagement from constituents and campaigners, newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage selected the Climate and Nature Bill as her Private Members' Bill, giving the campaign its strongest parliamentary opportunity to date.

As Zero Hour reflected:

"This is the greatest opportunity we have had to progress the Bill all the way to becoming an Act – and so much of this is down to people and organisations like Hope for the Future."

While the Bill ultimately did not progress beyond its Second Reading, the campaign achieved far more than a single parliamentary vote.

Lasting impact

The Climate and Nature Bill helped bring the interconnected climate and nature crises further into mainstream political debate at a time when biodiversity loss was often treated as a separate issue from climate policy.

The campaign secured unprecedented levels of political engagement across party lines, generated national media attention, and normalised conversations about the need for joined-up climate and nature legislation.

Through our partnership with Zero Hour, campaigners developed lasting advocacy skills that continue to strengthen climate and nature movements across the UK. Participants left with greater confidence, stronger relationships with politicians, and the ability to train others in their communities.

This is a core part of Hope for the Future's approach to change: building the long-term democratic infrastructure that enables communities to influence policy, not just for a single campaign, but for years to come.

Impact at a glance

• 15 campaigners trained as political engagement trainers

• Advocacy programme adapted during a General Election to maximise influence

• Campaigners supported to engage MPs and parliamentary candidates

• Contributed to securing the Climate and Nature Bill as a Private Members' Bill

• Built long-term advocacy capacity within the climate and nature movement

• Helped strengthen political discourse around the interconnected climate and nature crises

• Created a multiplier effect through the Train the Trainer model