Go Wild At The Lost Gardens Of Heligan
More wildlife stars added to Steve Backshall’s Wild Heligan lineup
Hannah Stitfall, Riyadh Khalaf and Cam Whitnall have been added to the packed line-up for Steve Backshall’s Wild Heligan, taking place at The Lost Gardens of Heligan this summer (July 18 to September 2). The trio join Steve Backshall and Maddie Moate on the line-up for Heligan’s biggest ever summer event. Every Monday to Saturday during the programme, one of the five headliners will take to Heligan’s Wild Stage for two shows (at 1pm and 3pm). Sundays will see the Wild Stage dedicated to live music and performance.
Cam Whitnall is the managing director of The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, and a Sunday Times bestselling author of Lion Heart (Ebury/Penguin). He co-hosts CBBC’s One Zoo Three alongside his brothers Aaron and Tyler, is a Nikon ambassador, and has built a social media following of more than two million people around his wildlife photography, rescue and conservation work.
Hannah Stitfall is an RTS-nominated wildlife presenter, producer and filmmaker who has worked with some of the most globally recognised brands in wildlife broadcast including BBC Earth and BBC One and she is the digital presenter for BBC Springwatch. With more than a million followers across her social channels, Hannah is one of the most widely followed wildlife presenters in the UK. Hannah has a first-class degree in zoology and a Masters in wildlife filmmaking and has made it her mission to bring environmental issues to the fore.
Riyadh Khalaf is a wildlife and science filmmaker, social media personality and presenter who has worked with BBC The One Show, BBC Morning Live and BBC Reel. Before entering the world of media, Riyadh worked as an educator in marine aquatic wildlife. In 2024, he accidentally discovered an abandoned duck egg in Devon. His digital series of rescuing, incubating, hatching and raising the duckling named Spike captured the hearts of people around the world amassing over 300 million views.
The Sunday live music sessions will be headlined by a selection of top Cornish artists.
These include singer-songwriters Josh Curnow, the Wave Machine and Daisy Mae, comedy Casio rappers Hedluv and Passman and drag queens Vicki Vivacious and Pasha Queen.
David Harland, chief executive of The Lost Gardens of Heligan, said: “We’re hugely excited to bolster the line-up for our summer Steve Backshall spectacular. We have an amazing array of talent with us at Heligan this summer, ready to shine a light on the wonders of the natural world, as well as get us all dancing! What could be better?”
Away from the Wild Stage, there will be a whole raft of activities, including the opportunity to take part in wildlife-themed workshops and a wild lab space where visitors can examine specimens under a microscope. Further down the Play Meadow – the south west’s biggest outdoor play area – will be Heligan den building activities, giving visitors the chance to create outlandish shelters from a variety of provided materials.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan will be taking part in the Great British Summer Savings Scheme, which reduces VAT on all daily admission tickets, Direct Debit Locals’ Passes and children’s meals for the summer. All admissions and children’s meals during the Great British Summer Savings window (until September 1) will be subject to the lower price, while Heligan’s Locals’ Pass prices have also been reduced, allowing residents of Cornwall and Devon to make savings for 12 months of unlimited visits to Heligan.
All Steve Backshall’s Wild Heligan activities are included in the standard Heligan admission price and are therefore free to Locals’ Pass holders and Heligan members. Shows on the Wild Stage are open to everyone with an admission ticket or Local Pass. To book tickets, secure timeslots or buy Locals’ Passes or memberships, see www.heligan.com. As part of the Great British Summer Savings scheme, local bus travel is free for under-15s during August. Heligan is served by a number of bus services, including direct from St Austell station. There are also safe, dedicated cycle and walking trails to Heligan all the way from St Austell.
