St Eval x Cornwall Wildlife Trust: 3 Years in the Making

Three years ago, we backed a vision. In February 2026, the first fully licensed wild beavers in Cornwall were released at Helman Tor. Here is the story of how we got there.

Where it all began

In April 2023, St Eval announced a three-year partnership with Cornwall Wildlife Trust, committing £150,000 to fund the appointment of Cornwall's first-ever Beaver Officer. 

Taking care of the natural world has been a core value at St Eval since the company began over 30 years ago. We had supported Cornwall Wildlife Trust for many years before this, but this partnership marked something different: a commitment to a specific, bold outcome at a moment when that outcome was not guaranteed.

"I am delighted that we are able to support Cornwall Wildlife Trust in such a meaningful way over the next three years with this incredible project. Taking care of the natural world around us has long been a core value at St Eval; helping Cornwall Wildlife Trust bring beavers back to Cornwall is a great way to make a positive impact on biodiversity and the environment locally. We've worked closely with Cornwall Wildlife Trust for many years to support them in their mission to create a Cornwall where nature thrives, and we are so delighted to take our partnership to the next level. The whole team at St Eval are also so excited to be able to be involved in a voluntary capacity and can't wait to get their boots muddy!" 

Ian Greaves, Executive Director, St Eval - April 2026

Three years of preparation

With St Eval's support, Lauren Jasper joined Cornwall Wildlife Trust that summer as Beaver Officer, beginning two years of door-knocking, community consultation, baseline data collection, and the preparation of a comprehensive licence application to Natural England.

The project was grounded in real evidence. The Cornwall Beaver Project at Woodland Valley Farm near Ladock had already been running since 2017, giving the team five years of data demonstrating the transformative impact beavers can have on a landscape.

• 2x Increase in brown trout size in beaver ponds at Woodland Valley Farm
• +10 New bird species recorded, including water rail and willow tit
• +11 New bat species now recorded on the site
• +17 Species of damselfly and dragonfly newly recorded

A group from the team at St Eval visited Woodland Valley Farm to see the beavers' work firsthand, witnessing the dams, the transformed landscape, and meeting Lauren and Cheryl. For many, it was the first time seeing a beaver dam in real life, and the experience brought home the scale of what the project was working towards.

How the story unfolded    

• April 2023 - Partnership announced. St Eval commits £150,000 over three years; Lauren Jasper is appointed as Cornwall's first Beaver Officer that summer.
• Aug 2023 - St Eval team beaver walk. The team visits Woodland Valley Farm to see the beavers and their remarkable impact on the landscape.
• Feb 2024 - Unexpected visitors at Helman Tor.A member of the public reports possible beaver activity. Trail cameras confirm an unauthorised pair has arrived — and the preparatory work means the team is ready to monitor them.
• Summer 2024 - The beavers get to work. As water levels drop, the beavers begin building their first dam at Helman Tor, creating a large new pool and transforming the habitat.
• Jan 2026 - Licence granted. After years of consultation and data collection, Natural England issued the long-awaited wild release licence.
• Feb 2026 - First fully licensed wild beaver release in Cornwall. Working with the Beaver Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust releases the first of several pairs of beavers into the wild in the Par and Fowey river catchment at Helman Tor — a landmark for nature recovery in Cornwall and nationally.

Why this matters

Helman Tor is Cornwall Wildlife Trust's largest nature reserve — over 700 acres of heathland, bog, ancient woodland, and wetland, south of Bodmin. It is the heart of the Trust's most ambitious rewilding project, which has already seen the introduction of Longhorn cattle, Tamworth pigs, and Dartmoor ponies to restore natural processes to the landscape.

By building dams on smaller streams, Beavers slow the flow of water after heavy rain, reduce flood risk downstream, create new ponds and wetlands, filter pollution, and sequester carbon. One in six species in Great Britain is now at risk of being lost. Beavers, as a keystone species, can help reverse that trend by creating habitats where dozens of other species can thrive.

Words from Cornwall Wildlife Trust

"Seeing beavers released at Helman Tor was an incredibly special moment. These animals are natural ecosystem engineers. By building dams and creating wetlands, they slow water, improve habitats, and unlock huge benefits for wildlife and rivers alike. What makes this milestone even more meaningful is that partners like St Eval backed the vision from the very beginning, at a time when bringing beavers back to the wild in Cornwall was still uncertain. Their support helped turn a bold idea into something real, and now we get to watch the landscape begin to change."

Lauren Jasper, Beaver Project Officer, Cornwall Wildlife Trust

"Projects like this only happen when people are willing to believe in a vision before the outcome is certain. St Eval's support came at a time when the path to releasing wild beavers in Cornwall was far from guaranteed. That belief and trust enabled us to carry out the preparation needed to reach this moment. The return of beavers to Helman Tor is not just a milestone for conservation, it is a powerful example of what can be achieved when businesses and conservation organisations work together with ambition and shared purpose."

Cheryl Marriott, Director of People and Nature, Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Looking ahead

As the three-year partnership with Cornwall Wildlife Trust draws to a close, we reflect with real pride on what has been achieved. The beavers at Helman Tor are only just beginning their work. In the years to come, they will build dams, create wetlands, transform the river catchment, and provide a home for species that have been absent from Cornwall's landscape for generations.

We are grateful to Cheryl, Lauren, and the whole Cornwall Wildlife Trust team for bringing us along on this journey from the first conversations about a bold and uncertain idea to the moment a 20kg Eurasian beaver slipped into the water at Helman Tor and the landscape began to change.

This is what it looks like when businesses and conservation organisations work together with ambition and shared purpose. We hope it is only the beginning.