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Heal Live: London – join us and our expert panellists to discuss access to nature and the need to create sanctuary for wildlife and find out the highs and lows of rewilding our first site in Somerset.
Heal is back on the road for Heal Live! We have a series of three in-person events, with the first in London followed by York and Birmingham. Each event offers an opportunity to hear about the ups and downs of establishing our first rewilding site, Heal Somerset, including an update on our upcoming film showing the beginning of its amazing journey towards recovery. We’re really excited to share with you the changes we’ve witnessed and to show what rewilding can give back to wildlife, to people and to communities in a relatively short space of time.
We will also be joined by some brilliant expert London-based speakers from within the rewilding and wildlife sectors where we will hear about examples of innovation and good practice in the area. We will also be asking what the local rewilding community is doing to tackle disparity in access to nature, whilst ensuring balance when it comes to wildlife’s need for sanctuary. There will be the chance for everyone attending to contribute, challenge and question, to deepen the conversation.
Confirmed speakers for this event include:
- Jan Stannard, founder and acting CEO, Heal Rewilding (Host)
- Elliot Newton, co-founder, Citizen Zoo
- Jasmine Isa Qureshi, intersectional writer, activist and storyteller
Jan Stannard is a Co-founder and Chair of Trustees of the national rewilding charity Heal, which launched in March 2020 to raise money to buy land in England for nature recovery, climate change action and wellbeing. Jan moved into the charity sector after 40 years’ experience in business, having served on company boards in the strategic communications and digital marketing sectors. She first became active in campaigning for wildlife in 2015 when she set up a local swift group, which has since organised the installation of hundreds of swift boxes. She also oversaw the largest ever amphibian ladder project in England in 2018, helping to stop migrating toads from drowning in road drains. She has a BA in Geography and a first-class honours degree in Psychology, and while studying for the latter, qualified as an executive coach and trained as a resilience specialist.
Elliot Newton is a co-founder of Citizen Zoo, an innovative rewilding organisation dedicated to transforming urban landscapes through community-driven projects. By adapting and applying rewilding approaches, Elliot and Citizen Zoo aim to place local people at the center of their initiatives and foster a more nature-rich urban environment. For over a decade, Elliot has led numerous large-scale ecological restoration efforts, including species reintroductions such as water voles to the Hogsmill River and the large marsh grasshopper across its former range. He was instrumental in establishing the London Beaver Working Group and has been a key member of the Ealing Beaver Project, which achieved London’s most urban beaver reintroduction with a strong community focus. Additionally, Elliot has played a strategic role in developing and implementing rewilding strategies across London.
Jasmine Isa Qureshi (they/she) is an interdisciplinary ecologist, marine biologist, journalist, writer, experienced facilitator, academic researcher, activist and award-winning poet. She is due to start a PhD at the Global Sustainability Institute at ARU, via the CAM-DTP programme. Her research (and a core of her other work) centres "Queering Ecology"; working within decolonising conservation and ecology, and understanding Indigenous and ancestral teachings on regenerative ecology and queer theory, and her own work "Queering" Ecology (workshops, research, etc.). Jasmine is the Advocacy Lead for grassroots campaigns collective Wildcard, working with the team to increase engagement and support for rewilding campaigns/projects within the UK.
She has penned pieces for a multitude of mixed media organisations as a journalist, and speak/write on topics such as entomology, interdisciplinary ecology, politics and systems, sexuality, identity and gender; contributing to magazines, blogs and events around the country, and as a presenter have been involved with BBC, CBeebies, Edinburgh Science Festival and VOX Media. Previously she was a wildlife TV Researcher (Netflix, BBC NHU / Earth, Sound Off Films, etc.), and worked on Climate Youth Resilience at The Mindfulness Initiative. They are an Ambassador for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and Green Jobs For Nature, a workshop facilitator and creator across subjects including creative writing, journalism and science communication. Jasmine also sits on the Advisory Committee for RSPB England, and is the founder of Soil To Sky, a grassroots organisation centring global majority queer/trans people in natural history, discussing and educating on queer ecology and intersectional awareness. Jasmine is currently working on her first book at DHH Literary Agency.
This will be an engaging, warm and informative evening full of stories of hope and positive change, so will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in nature and wildlife, from rewilding and wildlife experts and professionals, students and campaigners to young people, landowners and anyone who is interested in finding out more about the principles of rewilding or is simply seeking answers in the face of devastating nature and climate decline in the UK.
Travel
At Heal, we actively encourage and support sustainable travel. When travelling to our events, we invite you to consider more eco-friendly options such as walking, cycling, using public transport (buses and trains) or car sharing. However, we understand that these alternatives may not always be feasible and appreciate your consideration.
Thank you to our event sponsor, The Curious Network.
The Curious Network creates surprising places and manages vibrant communities across the UK. Using careful design to regenerate each unloved space into a unique place that wears its heritage proudly on its sleeve. This provides a sense of belonging and connection through considered building design, building long-term relationships, and holding events. This network is also open to businesses beyond our buildings through our virtual TCN Membership. Which provides access to the talent, growth, connections, and community that help businesses and their employees thrive, wherever they're located.
Thank you to Thatchers Cider and Nexba for providing free drinks for the event.
