5 January 2024. Our social mission is to benefit the community by supporting a vision of responsible economic growth that includes both social and environmental factors. In 2024, we are working with ethnic minority communities to increase their access to nature and to promote their contributions in natural recovery projects, thanks to grants from Natural England.
WBI believes that, together, we can (and should!) move towards a model of economic growth that contributes to sustainability as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a global roadmap for peace and prosperity. Times are difficult now, no doubt, but our team works from hope and shared aspirations of a more equitable and peaceful future.
Our work, at the community level and also as a part of our research consultancy work with civil society organisations, unions, governments, think-tanks, business, policymakers, consumers, engages changemakers and brings in positive social impacts for a more responsible economy.
In December 2023, we marked the conclusion of our community service activities for the year with a visit to the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight. The goal was to increase people’s connection to nature and encourage more support and involvement in environmental protection.
[From left to right: WBI’s Advisor Shipa Ahmed Khan, Natural England’s Mandy Preece & Ami Udeshi, WBI’s Exec Director Dr Bonny Ling]
In the pre-departure survey, more than 66% said they would like to visit more green spaces, sharing the desire to find out more about nature preservation, how to keep the environment safe and ways of improving the local area ecologically.
Ethnic minorities can be part of the segment of the population that experience lower quality of health outcomes and are, on average, under-targeted in terms of environmental education. With a grant to connect people to nature from Natural England, we organised an educational visit on conservation in response to this need.
On 19 December 2023, we sailed smoothly from Portsmouth to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Everyone was excitedly looking out of the window eager to capture the moment.
Despite the pouring rain, we all followed our Sanctuary’s Educational Guide full of excitement to start the tour. We learnt about the importance of biodiversity protection and that the Sanctuary is a home for rescued and threatened wildlife, which raises funds for in-situ conservation.
We saw the majestic Zoppa, a tigress rescued from a circus presenting serious injuries. We also ‘met’ the two lion brothers who had been maltreated in the past, but who have now found a comfortable home on the Isle of Wight.
Many of the animals have witnessed a positive change in their behaviour since arriving at the Sanctuary and receiving attentive care from their keepers.
Our Educational Guide shared how we can help to protect our planet and spoke of the importance of our social impact on this world, something that resonates very deeply with us at WBI.
Post-visit, an impressive 100% of those surveyed reported an improved state of personal wellbeing. When asked what they liked best about the trip, we were very touched by the response:
“Animals!! Members of Anita’s team! Members of Natural England!! Staff of the Wildheart Sanctuary! Everyone was my favourite thing!”
We really cherished our visit. The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary is not only an adopted safe home for its many rescued animals, it is also part of a wider movement to seed change in the way we treat our planet and its multifaceted inhabitants. Thank you for the warm welcome!
Upcoming this year, we will be undertaking more activities on the theme of climate education, the health benefits of connecting with nature, nature recovery – all within the framework of promoting a more inclusive and sustainable economy. This will continue alongside our important work on labour rights and human rights education and training.
We wish you a very happy 2024. As always, thank you for your great support.
