Developing inclusive practice for Natural Heritage Organisations

A one day course at Careys Secret Garden

We have reached a point in the natural heritage sector where impactful change in how organisations engage and work with diverse audiences needs to be addressed.

It’s time to recognise the problem

There are two main studies that show the stark disparity regarding the presence of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in our sector. The first is a 2017 Policy Exchange report by Dr Richard Norrie conducted to examine diversity across the employment sector. It found that the environmental sector was one of the whitest in the UK. Only 0.6% of the workforce identify as non-white and 2.5% as other white. In addition the DEFRA Protected Landscapes Review found that nationally only 0.8% BAME people were represented on the boards governing and managing National Parks and Areas of Outstanding National Beauty. The report stated that "research exposed an underlying culture in natural heritage organisations of tokenism, disinterest and ignorance about how to address the problem." Not only were Black and Asian communities isolated and fearful of venturing into natural landscapes, it also exposed an underlying culture in natural heritage organisations of tokenism, disinterest and ignorance about how to address the problem.

The solution lies with us

As an emerging natural space Careys Secret Garden (CSG) is proud to partner with Dr Anjana Khatwa to offer support to those working in the natural heritage sector in addressing this disparity. CSG won gold in best new tourism business for Dorset (2021) and wishes to make this space truly accessible to all. Our work with Dr Anjana has been both insightful and actionable and this day long course will aim to do the same for your organisation too.

“As a National Diversity Award Winner (2020) for being a Positive Role Model for Race, Faith and Religion I am passionate about bringing meaningful and lasting change within our sector. With over 20 years working in the natural heritage sector and numerous strategic Board and EDI Taskforce roles, I am well positioned to help your organisation move forward into a space that embraces equity and inclusion.”

Dr Anjana Khatwa, Earth Scientist and EDI Specialist

The course will be supported by Careys Secret Garden ‘finder’ Simon Constantine, previous Board Chair of Lush Cosmetics Ltd.

“Our aim is for Careys Secret Garden to be a space to connect to the natural world for all. We can’t do that if we don’t address the fundamental inequality present in society today. We truly believe in fostering diversity of every kind and, through that, finding a positive vision for the future. Working at Board level for 6 years at Lush I understand the need for those with influence to make the necessary changes within themselves and their organisations to overcome these challenges”

Simon Constantine

  • Your journey towards change

    We believe that impactful change comes from within organisations. Our training day will empower and enable colleagues to take greater confidence in their decision-making.

    The day encompasses:

    1. Impactful EDI training based on topical case studies and lived experiences of ethnically diverse people in nature.

    2. A strong focus on key outcomes for the organisations relating to staff development, designing community engagement programmes, and writing funding applications.

    3. A draft toolkit that will guide effective policy development, community engagement, and funding applications.

  • Becoming Inclusive Thought Leaders

    Sessions have been crafted with care and consideration, building in contemporary examples, and Anjana’s own lived experiences. They are thought-provoking, interactive, and deliberately challenging for participants to promote personal growth and professional development to champion an inclusive culture.

    Session 1: Impact of Unconscious Bias

    Session 2: Recognising and Challenging Racism

  • Putting our Skills into Practice

    Once we have completed the morning, we will embark on putting our skills into practice. We will identify key areas that need development to enhance inclusion within the organisation. This may be crafting a new mission statement, an EDI strategy or developing and critiquing a grant application. We will conduct this work over the afternoon.

    Session 3: Creating effective community engagement programmes

    Session 4: Placing inclusion at the heart of funding application

  • Key Outcomes

    1. Fully trained staff who feel confident and empowered to champion inclusion in all aspects of their work.

    2. Enhanced knowledge and capability to review and create internal and external content through a lens of inclusion.

    3. An Inclusion Toolkit to guide effective community engagement and funding applications.

Get in touch for more information

If this course is of interest please get in touch using the form attached.