Our Wilder Kent Awards journey: Invicta Sun Club

This guest blog is written by Kate Mockeridge of Invicta Sun Club and co-ordinator of their Wilder Kent Awards application 2025/26. Read on to hear about their journey to Gold!

"Invicta Sun Club has been awarded Gold in the Community Group category at the Wilder Kent Awards, recognising years of dedicated ecological and environmental work.

The award celebrates a holistic approach across three key areas: protecting nature, sustainability, and community engagement, each deeply embedded in the life of the club.

Invicta’s four-acre woodland site is a haven for wildlife. Members have created a rich network of habitats, including bug houses and a large bug hotel, butterfly shelters, bird and bat boxes, and hedgehog homes connected by a “hedgehog highway.” A woodland walk winds through the site, while fresh water sources and carefully maintained natural food supplies, such as teasels, berries, sunflowers, and acorns, support biodiversity throughout the seasons.

©️ AllaStratiienko

A pond, constructed from recycled materials and powered by a solar oxygenator, sustains aquatic life, while wildflower areas are left uncut from May through to September under the club’s “No Mow ’Til the Harvest Moon” approach, providing vital support for pollinators.

Sustainability is equally central to Invicta’s ethos. Members actively embrace recycling and reuse, with many structures built from reclaimed materials, including guest cabins furnished with second-hand items. A sharing table and library encourage reuse, while composting and leaf mulch production reduce reliance on external resources.

Renewable energy plays a significant role, with over 200 solar panels installed across the site. Water conservation measures include soakaways for greywater, dual-flush toilets, and widespread use of water butts. Visitors are encouraged to park on arrival and explore the site on foot, reinforcing a low-impact approach.

Beyond the site, members engage with wider environmental initiatives, including national wildlife surveys such as those organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, butterfly counts, and bug surveys. The club also supports environmental charities including Just One Tree.

As a member-owned club, community lies at the heart of Invicta’s success. Monthly “Work Sundays” bring members together to maintain and enhance the site, followed by shared meals that strengthen the social fabric of the club.

This Gold Award is not only recognition of environmental excellence, but of a thriving, engaged community, demonstrating how Naturism and care for the natural world go hand in hand."

Take part in the Wilder Kent Awards 2026/27

Are you part of a nursery, school, college, university, community group, village/town/city group, or business taking action for nature? The Wilder Kent Awards is set up to recognise and reward your work.

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