I picked this up as an ARC because of its focus on swifts—something close to my heart after a recent project at work, where we created swift boxes for homes alongside an art trail with the local community.

Nature Needs You tells the story of The Feather Speech, Bourne-Taylor’s campaign to make swift bricks mandatory in new builds and renovations. These bricks provide vital nesting spaces for swifts—now on the UK Red List—who’ve adapted to buildings after the loss of their forest homes. But today, the sealing of wall cavities is rapidly removing their last refuge.

Working in the housing sector, this really hit home. It’s such a simple, effective intervention—yet Bourne-Taylor shows just how hard it is to get political support, even for common-sense solutions. Her story offers a rare and accessible insight into how UK politics really works: the role of lobbyists, political indifference, and the persistence required to make meaningful change.

I found it deeply emotional. I teared up more than once following the highs and lows of her journey. And to learn she’s based just outside Oxford—campaigning for the very birds we’ve been trying to support- it hits very close to home.

If you care about nature, want to understand our political system better, or simply hope to be a more informed citizen, Nature Needs You is essential reading. It answers the question so many of us ask: What can I do to help?

I’ve pre-ordered a physical copy to share with family—and another for one of the Little Free Libraries at work.

What a fascinating story. The story of one woman campaigner fighting to save the swift and have swift bricks installed in homes in the UK proving roosting nests for the birds. Thank you to the author for this book and her work. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.