Heal Somerset - a magical new place for nature

Aim

We need help transforming 460 acres of ecologically depleted land, Heal Somerset, into a magical new place for nature.

Heal Somerset – a magical new place for nature 

Project Aims  

We need help transforming 460 acres of ecologically depleted land, Heal Somerset, into a magical new place for nature. Through rewilding, Heal is supporting nature recovery and acting against climate change.  

The land in Somerset is now healing from the ground up - healthier soil and water will support a greater abundance of wildlife. Rewilding is a nature-based solution to climate change which restores natural processes, producing healthy, resilient ecosystems so the landscape and soils recover.  It allows plants and trees to grow. As they do, they capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.  

Funds raised will be used to: 

1 – Gather ‘pre-wilding’ data on our soil, water and species. Many rewilding projects that came before ours missed this chance. We will help by filling in the gaps in the record, helping Heal, and others, to make the case for the creation of more wildlife recovery sites.  

2- Habitat restoration, focus on wildflowers and freshwater habitats.  

 3- Installing animal refuges, including bat and bird boxes in the built areas.  

 4- Volunteer equipment and outreach. Equipment will focus on the basics, ensuring there are no barriers to people getting involved.     

Education and involvement of local groups 

Working with local groups and educational organisations is central to Heal’s approach. We have begun to work with the local community in the nearest village to co-create the use of part of the site, 30 acres, and have asked the community to bring forward their ideas and identify their priorities. We will be setting up an advisory group, made up of local representatives, to ensure the best possible approach and outcomes for the residents. Ideas being discussed include a children’s play area, food growing, and a new pond.  

It is also our ambition that Heal Somerset becomes a hub for transformative nature and climate action. We are going to establish a local youth advisory panel and are already working with various local groups including Somerset Wildlife Trust and Friends of the River Frome.

The Future  

You might be wondering what our beloved Heal Somerset might look like years down the line. Well, wonder no more, let me take you on a quick trip to the future. It’s a summer evening, sometime between June and July. There are remnants of sunlight streaked across a pink and purple sky. It won’t be long now until the world turns to black and all the beautiful creatures that go bump in the night come out to play.  

Walking through one of the flower-rich meadows you’ll notice glow-worms underfoot, the females are putting on their evening light show in hopes of attracting a mate. Meanwhile, lesser-horseshoe bats soar and swoop overhead on the hunt for their next meal, their alien-like calls undiscernible to the human ear. No matter, there’s an orchestra of sounds you can hear, from the croaking of frogs in the ponds, to the skuttling of hazel dormice in the tree branches, to the buzzing of moths in the night sky, this is the melody of a place briming with wildlife.  

Eventually, the sun will start its upward climb and night will turn to day, bringing with it a whole new spectacle of natural abundance. This might be sound like a fantasy, but make no mistake, this is the bright future that is in store for Heal Somerset. All we need now is your support.   

This project successfully funded on 21st June 2023