As we move into the new financial year, we wanted to take a moment to look back on 2025/26 and share some exciting news about our growing team.
It has been our most ambitious year to date. Across 41 sessions and events, we worked directly with over 550 individuals and recorded 870 attendances across farms, market gardens and schools. Many participants returned for multiple sessions, building on their learning over time.
The heart of this year’s activity has been the second year of our FiPL-funded Weaving Farms, Land, People & Planet programme. Working under the theme of Celebrating Diversity in Food Systems, Nature and Communities, we brought together 285 children, 25 farmers, 40 regional refugees and a wide community of practitioners across 8 farms and 6 schools. 100% of children reported learning something new, and 99% said they enjoyed their sessions.
‘I learnt that biodiversity is so important – habitats such as hedgerows, wildflower meadows and wet marshes are great carbon catchers and heaven for all wildlife!’ – Child feedback
‘Just great watching them have so much fun. The sensory activity was surprising for me, but it worked really well – this was good for me too, as I learned new things.’ – Farmer feedback
Our partnership with a local SEN school was a particular highlight. Many of these students find focus and social interaction challenging, and it was wonderful to see the farm environment have such a positive effect on them.
“These boys do not do new people, and again today they were speaking to you as if they have known you forever. It just shows that being out in the environment really helps them thrive.” – Teacher
The project’s legacy is already growing beyond the sessions themselves. Wildflower seeds have been shared between farms and schools to expand local biodiversity, pupils have taken willow whips home to infill hedgerows on family farms and school grounds, and volunteering and work experience opportunities have been created for young people.
“That’s something we never went into this expecting, and yet it’s become one of the most important outcomes.” – Farmer
Through two Landscape Connection Events, we welcomed 40 regional refugees and young asylum seekers to the Blyth Valley and Wakelyns Dal Festival. For many, it was their first time experiencing the local countryside.
“So far, since being in the UK, this has been the best day so far! Good people, good food, great company, thank you so much, I am very grateful.” – participant feedback
Alongside Weaving Farms, we contributed to Diverse Communities, Diverse Crops, our collaboration with Barleybird CIC, connecting over 70 individuals from 18 different nationalities and ethnicities with local farms and growers across Ipswich and Colchester.
“I wish this project had happened earlier… there is so much to learn. It’s so great what you are doing.” – participant feedback
We also collaborated with Suffolk Wildlife Trust to develop a Stakeholder Engagement Plan for the Connecting Constable & Gainsborough Country Landscape Recovery project, one of the largest of its kind in the UK. A highlight was convening the project’s first Landscape Table event, bringing together over 40 individuals from farming, conservation, community and cultural sectors.
“He told me that he found it incredibly uplifting, and that it strengthened his enthusiasm and faith in the Landscape Recovery project.” — Suffolk Wildlife Trust staff member
The connections made at that event have since opened up some exciting new possibilities. This spring, Director Carrie Phoenix and long-term collaborator, chef Lola De Mille, delivered an afternoon of action learning for Suffolk Libraries’ Pollinate & Create programme. They used our signature Landscape Table convening approach – using food as an accessible tool to build connections between people and environmental issues. It was a privilege to meet new artists whose values align so closely with ours. By supporting them in developing their creative practice, we hope to reach even more people with the restorative power of nature and the arts.
We were also proud to be part of a programme alongside fellow progressive organisations like the Green Light Trust and Suffolk Wildlife Trust, who we worked closely with on the Connecting Constable and Gainsborough Country project. This activity sets the scene for future collaborations that support and nurture nature-loving practices within our communities.
We are also very pleased to share that we have welcomed two new trustees to the Natural Habitat team. Johann Don-Daniel and Rae Willcox bring between them an expansive background in accessible, ecologically aware creative practices. We are sure their expertise will be a great support as Natural Habitat moves into its next phase.
None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our funders, the dedication of our wonderful community of practitioners, and the farmers, schools and communities who continue to open their doors and their land to this work. We have been taking some time to consolidate our learning from our first 2 yrs, and are now setting plans for what comes next – more on that very soon!
