Social Impact Report 2026
Heal’s first social impact report covers the period from April 2025 to March 2026. The work captured reflects a shared effort and we could not have achieved it without the help of our volunteers, community partners, wider networks and donors.
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Download the full report or read through highlights from each of the five priority groups below:
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Underserved communities (bridging the inequality gap)
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Young people
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Local community
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Visitors and our national audience
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Volunteers
“Our commitment to communities, like our commitment to the land, is long term. We will continue to invest, listen, learn and evolve so that the benefits and wonder of rewilding are truly for everyone.”
– Jan Stannard, Co-founder and CEO, Heal Rewilding
Bridging the inequality gap
By collaborating with local councils, community partners and networks, and analysing government data on deprivation and access to nature, we have developed engagement programmes that respond directly to identified inequality gaps.
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We reached 295 people from underserved backgrounds through our ‘nature engagement journey’ – a pathway from first-time experiences of being outdoors, through to learning about rewilding, and ultimately contributing to ecological surveys and practical interventions.
“The families always leave Heal feeling happier, confident, relaxed, with better mental health as they have been able to switch off from their worries. The children have space to run, learn and bond with parents. Having a range of activities allows families the opportunities to spend time together and experience new things together.”
– Purple Elephant group leader
"These people live such structured lives, they are told when to wake up and what to do most of the day. So enabling them to do what interests them is really important. You can see how much they enjoyed it and it is wonderful watching them interacting with each other and nature."
– The Pod Youth group leader
Young people inclusion
We reached:
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930 young people through rewilding presentations in education settings
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22 students through field trips embedded in A-Level Environmental Science at Frome College
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13 young people through volunteering
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8 secondary school students through work experience and placements
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1 young person as a permanent, full-time staff member
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11 young people through Heal’s Future Advisory Panel
Working with our local community
Village Fields is a 30-acre site adjacent to the local village, overseen by seven local residents. In 2025, around 700 native trees were planted to create a community orchard, with a recent survey showing an 80% survival rate.
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35 local contractors have been employed for short-term work at Heal Somerset, many on a regular basis.
Engagement with visitors and our national audience
We provide five miles of mown permissive paths and two public footpaths, all free to access at Heal Somerset. To reduce barriers to access, we offer an all-terrain mobility scooter, a wheelchair-accessible Community Nature Barn, subsidised event pricing and a detailed online access guide.
99% of visitors reported feeling more relaxed after spending time at Heal, indicating an increased sense of wellbeing, connection and community.
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40 events
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1,539 event attendees
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20,000 social media followers
Volunteers
Heal’s 265 volunteers support in-person or virtually, contributing to a huge range of charitable work. From March 2025 to April 2026, we had 238 volunteer sessions take place totalling 6,715 volunteer hours, equivalent to four full-time members of staff, which is more than half of our currently paid team.
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Go to our storytelling webpage to read stories from our volunteers on the land.