An eco-protester who targeted George Osborne at his wedding can be revealed today as a former librarian and local councilor – who was on holiday in Thailand for a few months after declaring a ‘climate emergency’ in Somerset.
Shelagh Day, 62, is a well-known campaigner in Bruton, Somerset, where she and Mr Osborne both live.
Last weekend, she caused a stir after she showered the former chancellor and his new wife Thea Rogers with orange confetti as they left St. Mary’s Church following their wedding.
The stunt, in front of the press, was a copycat version of Just Stop Oil’s use of orange paint and powder to disrupt sporting events. The protest group initially appeared to claim responsibility for it, but backed down after being criticized by the public and condemned by both Tory and Labor MPs.
The Mail on Sunday followed Mrs Day, a divorcee, to her modest terrace house in Bruton on Wednesday. She opened the door and claimed, “It wasn’t me.”
Shelgah Day, 62, targeted George Osborne at his wedding. She is a former librarian and local councilor – who was on holiday in Thailand for a few months after declaring a ‘climate emergency’ in Somerset
Day, 62, (pictured on holiday in Thailand) is a well-known campaigner in Bruton, Somerset, where she and Mr Osborne both live.
But locals – including other councilors – all identified her as the Osborne wedding protester, who evaded security to throw confetti over the newlyweds.
Residents said Ms Day had ties to One Planet Bruton, an environmental group that successfully campaigned in 2019 for the municipality of Bruton to declare the town in a ‘climate emergency’.
Six months after the report, Ms. Day went on a three-week vacation to Thailand, according to a travel blog written by one of her friends.
She probably made the 10,000 miles round trip by plane. If so, such a flight would have generated 3.3 tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to driving 30,000 kilometers in a typical petrol car. Mrs. Day also has a small petrol hatchback.
Following her election to the City Council in 2019, with 4 per cent of the vote, Ms Day was appointed to Bruton’s newly created core Working Group on Climate and Ecological Emergencies.
But Jane Durney, who chaired the task force, said, “She never showed up for most of the meetings.”
She added, “One Planet Bruton has absolutely nothing to do with what she did at the wedding. She has done this as a standalone thing.
“As the wedding was approaching, we were even in the community hall at one of our sew-it-don’t-ditch-it events to encourage everyone to mend old clothes. We are not an action group. We only try to encourage sustainable local community projects, such as our recent plant-before-pollinator day to help wildlife.”
Residents said Day was linked to One Planet Bruton, an environmental group that successfully campaigned in 2019 for Bruton City Council to declare the city in a ‘climate emergency’
Last weekend, Day caused a stir after he showered the former Chancellor and his new wife Thea Rogers with orange confetti as they left St Mary’s Church following their wedding
Another source, who worked with Mrs. Day during her three-year stint as councillor, described her as “always awkward.”
“Nothing was ever quite right for her,” they said. “She spoke the word, but it usually took others. I never saw her do much. I’m sure she’s proud of herself for showering George Osborne and his wife with orange confetti.
‘But really? He hasn’t been on the front lines of politics for years. It was their wedding day. To grow up.’ Ms. Day’s social media posts on Facebook and Twitter endorse radical ecogroups, including Extinction Rebellion.
Last week she retweeted a video from Just Stop Oil of her dumping confetti on Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, captioning it: “You look great in orange @George_Osborne – congratulations on the newlyweds.”
But she denied being the confetti thrower when approached by The Mail on Sunday.
“I did show up for the earlier play,” she said, adding, “But I wasn’t there for the actual ceremony. It was not me. I was not alone. I was with my friend Lisa and we left when they all went to church.”
When asked why so many local people had identified her as the culprit, she replied, “Well, people misunderstand things.”