Guide to starting a local campaign

Getting creative makes your campaign inclusive

Starting a local campaign is the best way to try and save a tree or trees. Here we have listed a number of tips and ideas but this list is not exhaustive.

By starting a campaign you will be making contact with other passionate local people who also want to help save the tree and you will be spreading the word to those who are unaware of the threat.

Also, join Canopy as an organisational member and attend our monthly Zoom meetings for advice from other members.

If the tree is due to be felled within minutes or hours and you would like to try and stop it happening, you might be able to, depending on the specific situation. Actions which can be taken are:

  • Speak to the council's Tree Officer if you think the felling is unlawful, or if you think they will grant an emergency Tree Preservation Order (TPO).
  • Speak to the Forestry Commission if you think the work requires a felling licence and one has not been granted. A licence is required for the felling of over 5 cubic metres of wood. Call them 0300 067 4000.
  • Speak to the Wildlife Police if you believe the felling will be illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - you can call them on 101 and ask for the Wildlife Officer.
  • Carrying out non-violent direct action – read our guide to that here (coming soon!).

Here is a list of ideas for your campaign, in no particular order and please note this list is obviously not exhaustive!

Get organised

  • Come up with a name for your campaign and if you can a logo - consider using AI to do this.
  • Establish a campaign with clear messaging and a core working group among whom you can divide tasks.
  • Take some good photos of the tree or trees which are threatened, especially when they are in leaf!
  • Consider giving your tree a name, like this group did.
  • Start a petition – you can use Change.org and consider collecting signatures in person on paper.
  • Consider starting a fundraiser to cover materials, printing for protesting and legal advice. If you are raising money specifically for a legal challenge, you can use Crowd Justice and on their website you might be able to find an appropriate solicitor.

Get online

  • Get on social media! Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter, Blue Sky.
  • Make a few members of your campaign admins of the accounts to spread the workload.
  • Consider a Facebook Group as well as a page to keep the conversation going.
  • Share your Facebook posts to other Facebook Groups to help spread the message.
  • Invite friends and family to follow you.

Stay connected

  • Collect email addresses for a mailing list or you can use the petition website to contact supporters.
  • Start a WhatsApp group.
  • Asking people on your email mailing list or those who have signed the petition to donate some money can be a good way to fund Facebook adverts for more people to sign the petition. This can grow your petition and, therefore your contact list, so it becomes self-perpetuating. Politely ask for donations every time you send out an email.

Reach out

  • Encourage people to write to their councillors and MP – the easiest way to do this is using Write To Them. And try and get local politicians on board.
  • Contact the local press.
  • Contact local celebrities to see if they will support you.
  • Write a letter to your local paper.

Understand the issue

  • Take legal advice – it’s always worth taking advice from a legal expert if you can afford to. Read our brief guide to using the law and legal action to save trees.
  • Talk to local environmental groups, Friends of Groups and charities. Contact the Woodland Trust, especially if the threatened tree is Ancient or Veteran. Here is their guide on whether a tree is ancient or veteran. It's possible that it is but is not yet registered as one.
  • If you can, speak to a professional arboriculturalist to get their opinion on the condition of the tree/trees and an ecologist to understand the benefits the tree or trees currently provide. The Wildlife Trust might be able to help.
  • Raise objections at all stages of the process through the appropriate channels – try to ensure your comments raise all relevant matters. Make sure you and the rest of the campaign group are aware of deadlines and make sure you respond in time.
  • Request information if things are unclear or missing – you can request information from any public body by sending an email or letter. Alternatively you can use What Do They Know. Try to send your request to the individual dealing with the decision and copy in the authority’s ‘freedom of information’ team. If the authority refuses to disclose information or doesn’t respond or tries to charge you for providing the information, you can request an internal review. The public body has a further 2 months to respond. If you don’t receive an answer within 1 month, you can send a reminder. If you still don’t receive a response or you are unhappy with how it has been handled, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. It’s free to make a complaint.
  • Keep a note of information requests, what stage they have reached and responses received. It’s easy to lose track of what information you have requested. And keep a note of all objections made and other correspondence with Councillors so you can easily find who said what, when.

Get creative!

  • Organise chalking sessions to write words on the ground near the threatened tree to draw attention to the plan to fell it.
  • Design a flyer to hand out – include a QR to your social media, petition page, crowd funder or website.
  • Design banners. Some of the best contain fun slogans or puns.
  • Make short videos to share online. Talk about why it’s important to save the tree/trees.
  • Hold a vigil.
  • Hang signs in the tree/trees to draw attention to the threat.
  • Write the tree a poem! Read it out and post it online. Encourage others to.
  • Write the tree a love letter.
  • If you can, use a projector to draw attention to the threat.