In April we were delighted to welcome around 100 guests to our annual fundraising dinner, hosted by Yeo Valley at their stunning HQ in Blagdon, Sommerset. Guests enjoyed a delicious, regenerative meal prepared by the Yeo Valley kitchen, and thanks to the generosity of attendees and sponsors, we raised vital funds to continue our core work to raise the profile of soil and our core campaigning work, which this year will focus on engaging politicians from all parties in the run-up to the General Election. It was a fun and memorable evening, and we have many people to thank for its success!
A special thanks to Colin Ramsay, Director of the new film Six Inches of Soil, who came along to speak about his expereince of researching and making the film, and shared his insights on the film's encouraging reception since its release.
We were also joined by Rowan Phillmore from The Gaia Foundation who showcased their We Feed The UK exhibition – a storytelling campaign which shares the lives of the custodians of the UK’s soil, sea and seed.
And of course we must say a huge thank you to Yeo Valley and especially Tim and Mary Mead, not only for hosting such a wonderful event, but for their continued advice, guidance and reassurance since our inception in 2017.
The evening would not have been possible without the generous support of the many businesses and individuals who came along and who donated drinks, nibbles and quiz prizes. Thank you to Belvioir Farm, Luscombe, Vintage Roots, The Secret Garden Distillery, The Real Olive Company, Radek’s Chocolate, Bobbi Rae and The Chocolate Detective for supplying such great additions to the evening.
As part of the evening, we hosted a soil themed pub quiz (‘Soiliversity’ Challenge!) which tested guests’ knowledge of soil, including the famous worms of book, film and television. Congratulations to the winning teams!
If you’d like to host your own Soiliversity Challenge, you can find the questions and answers linked below!
A huge thanks to everyone who sponsored a table and donated – it is always such a joy to be able to bring together so many like-minded people over a lovlely meal.
This evening's photographs were taken by David Williams - find him on Instagram @davidjw2024!