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| Courtesy Heal Rewilding |
The funding will enable Heal to expand its impact across England, supporting the recovery of degraded landscapes while strengthening connections between people, wildlife and place.
Heal is taking direct action to tackle the climate and ecological crises by helping ecosystems to recover and wildlife populations to thrive.
Alongside ecological gains, the funding will also support Heal’s work with local communities, helping to improve people’s health and wellbeing through meaningful access to nature.
Central to the charity’s approach is enabling people to connect with the natural world – to learn, heal, share and inspire action locally, nationally and beyond.
The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family founded grant-maker supporting charities operating in a wide variety of sectors across the UK that make a positive difference within their communities.
Established by W. Garfield Weston in 1958 through an endowment of shares in the family business – now known as Associated British Foods plc – the Foundation continues to be guided by the Weston Family. The Trustees, each of whom are direct descendants of the founder, play an active, informed role in its work.
This successful model has ensured that our charitable donations have grown as the businesses have grown, enabling the Foundation to award grants totalling nearly £1.7 billion since its establishment. The most recent financial year 2024-2025 saw the Foundation give away almost £130 million to 2,967 charities.
The grant marks an important step in Heal Rewilding’s continued growth as the charity works towards its ambition of establishing more rewilding sites across England. Each Heal site is designed to provide a permanent haven for nature while also delivering tangible benefits for local communities, including job creation and inward investment. Heal’s second site will be in the north of England.
Commenting on the award, Sarah Winchester, Director of Heal Rewilding told That's Green: “This generous support from the Garfield Weston Foundation will enable us to build lasting momentum for nature recovery.
"We've already witnessed remarkable and heartening successes at our pilot site, Heal Somerset, both in terms of biodiversity and community engagement and this funding will help us to advance our mission further. We are incredibly grateful for the confidence and belief that the Foundation shows in Heal.”
