Our team trip highlights: visiting Heal Rewilding in Somerset
Last week, our team travelled to Somerset for our annual trip. We spent a day volunteering with our cherished climate charity partner Heal Rewilding, enjoyed some nail-biting-go-karting, and wrapped up with a relaxing day exploring The Newt. Keep reading to discover more about our adventure and the awe-inspiring Heal.
Day 1: Racing and relaxing
We set off from London Paddington bright and early, arriving in Westbury just before midday. Lunch was enjoyed At The Chapel, where we indulged in oozy burrata, crisp arancini, and delicious burnt aubergine, juicy chicken and hake mains.
Straight after lunch, we zipped over to go-karting at Haynes Motor Museum. With 20 of us competing in a Grand Prix-style event, things got pretty competitive as we each vied for a spot on the podium. Hats off (or should we say helmets?) to Tom B, George, and Audrius for showing us how it's done!
That evening, after a couple of hours of chill time, we headed to Babington House for a celebratory dinner. Big serving platters, delicious Soho House-renowned Picante's, and plenty of wine set the scene. We also swapped seats after every course to keep the conversation varied and flowing.
Day 2: Giving back and getting stuck in
We started bright and early with a homemade breakfast cooked by me, to fuel the activities ahead with Heal Rewilding. Heal was launched in March 2020 on a mission is to give land back to nature, forever, for nature recovery, climate action and wellbeing. Their goal is to acquire and rewild a site in every English county by 2050, safeguarding almost 25,000 acres for nature and wildlife.
Heal is the latest climate charity to join our Penny for the Planet programme, which started back in 2021. For every ticket sold on our platform, we donate a penny to the pot, divided equally among our beloved charities: Cumbria Wildlife Trust; Rainforest Foundation UK; Ocean Conservation Trust; and Heal. To date, donations have surpassed £400,000, helping these charities to restore nature and fight climate change.
Read more about one of the many milestones reached thanks to Penny for the Planet >
After settling in with a cuppa at Heal, we learnt about the importance of Heals' work before heading on a guided tour of the 460-acre site with CEO and Chair of Trustees Jan. We discovered how nature is thriving since they took over the site a year ago.
So far, they've seen the appearance of thousands of baby oaks, which will play a crucial role in carbon capture as they grow; the arrival of wild living beavers, which haven’t been on this landscape for over 400 years; over 52 species of birds on site, including nine red-listed species and eleven amber-listed species; over 220 species of plants, including trees, wildflowers, and grasses; and at least one great crested newt, as well as frogs, toads, lizards, and grass snakes breeding. It's incredible to witness the positive impact of rewilding so early on!
Post-tour, we had a refreshing lunch before diving into worm surveys in teams of three across the site. We dug up five holes following either a linear or quadrant formation, sifted through the soil, and counted earthworms, recording their species and the number of juveniles. We are among the first to help with this, and our data will inform their baseline, which they aim to improve over time.
Why does this matter? Earthworms are important; they're a great indicator of soil health, support carbon cycling, improve water infiltration and plant productivity, and, last but not least, are an important food source.
After a few hours of counting, we returned to camp to compare our findings before heading back to our cottages to relax with a cold beverage or two. That evening, we enjoyed a spectacular dinner at The Three Horseshoes, with impromptu speeches from the team. The partying continued into the night with DJ sets from our Founder Jonny, Head of Sales Donald, and Product Manager Claire.
Day 3: Unwinding at The Newt
On our final day, we visited The Newt for a relaxing garden tour, a veg-focused seasonal lunch at the Garden Café (where most of the produce was grown on site!), and an authentic cyder tour. After a fun-filled three days, we headed back to London, ready and raring to take on the rest of the year, and with a newfound love for the mighty earthworm.
Watch our video with Heal
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