ARK AT EGWOOD CIC

Using land, nature and animals to support wellbeing, learning and connection in South Somerset.

Organisation: Community Interest Company
Location: Somerset
Founded: 2018
Investment: £10,000
Investment Date: July 2019
Source of Investment: Health & Wellbeing Challenge Fund

About Ark at Egwood

Ark at Egwood is a community-based initiative in South Somerset that uses 12 acres of land, woodland and animals to support people experiencing physical health challenges, mental health needs and learning disabilities.

Through outdoor activities such as horticulture, forestry and animal care, Ark provides opportunities for people to develop confidence, build social skills and gain experience that supports pathways into education, volunteering and employment. The site also hosts community activities, including pop-up lunch clubs and local events using produce grown on-site, helping to strengthen local connections and reduce social isolation.

Our investment

In 2019, Resonance invested £10,000 through the Health & Wellbeing Challenge Fund to support essential upgrade works at the Egwood site, enabling Ark to formally launch its provision.

This investment helped prepare the site to deliver structured activities and support services, ensuring it could operate safely and effectively as a base for community engagement, learning and therapeutic outdoor activity.

Impact

Since launch, Ark at Egwood has developed into a thriving intergenerational community, with between 50 and 90 people visiting the site each day to take part in land-based, therapeutic and social activities.

Many participants experience trauma, mental health challenges or exclusion from mainstream services. This includes around 40 children each week who are not in school or struggle in traditional education settings, alongside over 100 people each week engaging through an unfunded therapeutic volunteering programme.

The project provides structured pathways for progression, with participants moving from service users into volunteering roles, and in some cases into paid employment. Today, Ark has 14 permanent staff and 73 volunteers, with some staff having previously been participants themselves.

Through activities such as growing, harvesting and cooking food for up to 50 free hot meals per day, Ark creates opportunities for people to build practical skills, confidence and a shared sense of purpose.

Beyond activity provision, Ark offers a place of stability and emotional safety for people experiencing grief, trauma and isolation. Participants describe it as a place of belonging, where they are supported without judgment and able to rebuild confidence at their own pace.

By combining social investment with therapeutic, land-based activity, Ark at Egwood demonstrates how community-led solutions can improve mental health, reduce isolation and create meaningful pathways into skills, employment and wellbeing.

“Everyone that comes to Ark finds their place here.” Ark’s CEO, Nigel Bell

“The start of my journey… my comfort place.” Graham, Ark Service User