Business Partner Stories

Surrey Wildlife Trust and the internationally renowned Wentworth Golf Club have teamed up to help create new heathland habitat on the course itself, and to promote the wider health and recovery of Surrey’s most special wild places.  

 The Club will receive support and consultancy to help it deliver environmentally friendly practices across the course and its facilities in Virginia Water, helping create and enhance habitats, conserve resources and reduce carbon emissions.  It is anticipated that this work will benefit native species including Silver-studded blue and Grayling butterflies as well as reptiles like the Common lizard and Adder, all of which contribute to the ecology of the surrounding area as well as enhancing the experience of the club for members.   

 Perhaps most notably, from early 2025 the Club will be installing established locally-sourced native heathers on some 1,000 square metres of suitable ground on its historic East Course, originally designed by the legendary Harry Colt in the 1924.  This will recreate the lowland heathland habitat that is so vital to Surrey’s biodiversity, and which supports a range of rare birds, reptiles and invertebrates, including important pollinators like bees, beetles and butterflies.   

Joining SWT as a ‘Gold’ corporate member, Wentworth will make a substantial financial contribution to the Trust; this will support scrub clearance, conservation grazing and other efforts to monitor, improve and reconnect fragmented lowland heathland habitats in particular.  85 per cent of heathland habitat has been lost in the last two centuries, and the remaining sites including Chobham and Whitmoor commons and Ash and Barossa ranges need careful care and maintenance to remain in top condition for rare wildlife.   

Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Nature-Based Solutions Manager, Ben Habgood says:  

 “Golf clubs are not just places for recreation and pleasure; if managed correctly, they are invaluable custodians of Surrey’s world-class natural heritage. It’s great to welcome Wentworth and its members to our family of forward-thinking businesses which recognise that sustainability and good business are natural partners.”  

 The new partnership buildings on Wentworth’s Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) certified status, achieved in 2022.  More information about how the Club is putting sustainability and biodiversity at the heart of its ongoing plans is available here.  

Albury Vineyard, near Guildford, have recently opened their own wildlife walk – visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the vineyard and take in the fascinating sights of the local wildlife, followed by a glass of the vineyard’s very own wine that has been produced sustainably.

The nature trail features wildlife-friendly spaces, including wildflower meadows and insect highways, attracting a diverse range of wildlife to the area.

Albury Vineyard puts the environment first in everything that they do and want wildlife to thrive. That is why for every ticket that is sold for their wildlife walk, Albury Vineyard have agreed to donate £5 to Surrey Wildlife Trust. These donations will help us to protect and support habitats like those found on Albury Vineyard, allowing wildlife to thrive across Surrey.  

Learn more about the wildlife walk  

Luke Western is an independent artist who designs and creates bespoke, nature-themed sculptures for clients – his most recent sculpture was of a red kite which was mounted 20 feet up a tree in Wales. Being a nature lover, Luke is passionate about helping local wildlife, which is why he has partnered with Surrey Wildlife Trust.

The partnership will see Luke donate 15% of the price of any wire sculpture that he creates, to the Trust. The donations will help the Trust’s vital work in conserving habitats for local wildlife and expanding and connecting wild places across the county.

To find out more about Luke’s sculptures and how you can support the Trust by buying a bespoke piece from him, please use the following link: https://www.lukewesternart.com/surrey-wildlife-trust. 

Oander is helping us to protect ancient woodland in Surrey. The construction and property consultant whose services include Project & Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying, CDM and Multidisciplinary Design has donated towards one of the Trust’s ancient semi-natural woodlands known as Kitchen Copse.

Kitchen Copse is home to an abundance of wildlife and plant species, including primrose, enchanter’s nightshade and English oak. With Oander’s support, we are able to help protect and preserve the woodland so that nature can continue to thrive there.

Learn more about the partnership

We are honoured that Surrey Choices has chosen Surrey Wildlife Trust to be their Charity of the Year for 2023/2024.

Surrey Choices is a local organisation that is dedicated to improving the independence, confidence and life skills of disabled and autistic people.

During this one-year partnership, we hope to inspire their staff and customers to enjoy nature and to learn how to protect and support Surrey’s wildlife. We’ll provide a range of wildlife-friendly ways for them to manage their various sites across the county. So that staff and customers at Surrey Choices can monitor their impact, they’ll be able to use our online survey to map their activity. Surrey Choices will also be helping to raise important funds for our conservation work through raffles, skills auctions and sweepstakes.

This partnership will make a significant contribution towards our aim to restore 30% of Surrey’s land to nature by 2030, and it will support our mission to inspire at least one in every four people in our community to take action for nature.  

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We’ve partnered with Surrey Green Burials, a family-owned funeral director based in Dorking in Surrey offering environmentally friendly and organic burial services and cremations. The partnership will see Surrey Green Burials donate 10% of its professional fee to Surrey Wildlife Trust, for every funeral it conducts for a referred member or volunteer of the Trust.

This partnership will provide Surrey Green Burials’ clients an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to Surrey’s wildlife and will help us to continue our vital work in protecting and connecting wild spaces across the county, ensuring that Surrey’s wildlife can thrive.   

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Vestel UK are based in Slough and are one of the largest TV manufacturers in the world and a leading global producer of home appliances, EV chargers, professional display solutions and more. 

The team at Vestel UK are passionate about preserving Surrey’s wildlife and inspiring communities to get closer to nature. As well as becoming a member of Surrey Wildlife Trust, they have also donated two of their popular IFM interactive education screens to the Trust. These screens will enhance the learning experiences of local school children that are part of our Wilder Schools Programme, helping to inspire the next generation to care for nature.

Learn more about the partnership

As well as serving barista coffees and sweet treats at Norbury Park, Wild! About Coffee want to inform their customers about Surrey’s wildlife and inspire them to take action for nature.

Phil Corin, the owner of Wild! About Coffee, explains why it’s so important to him to protect and support nature in Surrey:

“I set up Wild! About Coffee because I wanted to create a community hub where people could enjoy being in the outdoors together, talk about nature, and drink good coffee. For many years, I ran through Norbury Park and was always fascinated by the abundance of wildlife that I saw – this sparked my passion to help support the wildlife found on the reserve.  

I want to share my passion for nature and raise awareness of local environmental issues and the need to take action. By raising money for Surrey Wildlife Trust, Wild! About Coffee and our customers can play a part in helping to support and protect Surrey’s nature for years to come”.  

Since 2017, the mobile coffee shop has been raising money for Surrey Wildlife Trust by promoting our work to their customers. In December 2023, Wild! About Coffee and their customers raised £2,000 for our Grazing Appeal via the Big Give!

You can find Wild! About Coffee at Norbury Park every Thursday – Sunday, 9am-3pm.

Wild! About Coffee - What3words location: teeth.grabs.town

Visit Wild! About Coffee’s Instagram HERE.