Shaun Hancox digs wildlife ponds at Heal Somerset
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Shaun Hancox has dug scores of new ponds for charities and rewilding projects across Britain, using excavator skills honed on golf‑course bunkers.
- Freshwater Habitats Trust reports that Britain has lost at least 400,000 ponds in the last century, and many existing ponds are overgrown, degraded, or nutrient‑polluted.
- Heal Somerset is having four new ponds, including a 30‑metre‑diameter double‑bowled pond, excavated by Hancox to provide breeding habitat for great‑crested newts.
- Pete Case of the Newt Conservation Partnership describes pond creation as the simplest and cheapest method to restore clean water to the landscape.
- The ponds are designed to be isolated from river systems and rely on rainwater or clean groundwater, enabling delicate aquatic plants and diverse invertebrates to establish quickly.
Why it matters: Great‑crested newts and other wildlife gain breeding habitat, while the fresh water restored by rain‑filled ponds improves biodiversity and supports Heal Rewilding’s restoration goals in the region.
