Heligan Professional Services Network

The Heligan Professional Services network is the global leader in providing independent consultancy to destinations and living collections worldwide. We deliver operational advice, creative development, domain expertise and management support enabling both the natural world and your business to thrive.

Working with visitor attractions, gardens, wild sites, urban landscapes, areas of scientific interest, natural history institutions and government (public) bodies. Nature is at our heart and business is in our head.

With over 250 years of directly relevant experience, united under one banner, our team comprises highly experienced professionals. From horticulture to architecture through concept into operations. We cater to a wide range of clients, including some of the most famous gardens, natural landscape attractions and destinations worldwide.

Operational excellence is our core focus working to develop ideas into feasible and sustainable business practices. Whether assisting with new ventures or advising existing locations, we apply our extensive experience to help our partners boost revenue, manage costs, protect the natural world and operate sustainably in an increasingly competitive market.

Starting in 1990, with Europe’s largest garden restoration project, the Heligan Professional Services team have gone on to work on projects and partnerships worldwide. Building an international reputation around projects that preserve and interpret the natural world for future generations.

Over 34 years of success that includes operating, planning, design, finance and economics, training, implementation and management services for living collections, living landscapes and cultural attractions.

Never standing still, with a ferocious appetite for innovation, we have achieved another first (November 2024) with The Lost Gardens of Heligan achieving full B-Corp status. The first large scale attraction (and living collection) in the UK to do so.

What we work on

  1. Visitor Destinations

    • Gardens & Botanic Gardens
    • Living & Natural Science Collections
    • Heritage & Cultural Attractions
    • Biome & Glasshouse Environments – tropical, sub-tropical, arid & other climate zones

  2. Landscape Interventions

    • Natural landscapes at scale
    • Wild site protection and interpretation
    • Quarry and mine restoration
    • Regenerative agriculture
    • Urban nature developments

  3. Interconnected Sustainability

    • Horticulturally and ecologically led programmes
    • Natural world interpretation projects – flora and fauna
    • Biodiversity protection – encouraging the variety of life and restoring ecologies
    • Wildlife reintroduction
    • Native habitat restoration – forest, wildflower, wetland

Operational development

  • Needs analysis
  • Service design
  • Training & assessment
  • Commissioning
  • Operational delivery

Finance, economics & assessment

  • Project viability
  • Visitor demand
  • Financial planning
  • Business case
  • Public | Private partnerships

Project development

  • Project inception and feasibility
  • Concept / thematic development
  • Nature connections – horticulture, ecology, science
  • Creative design & development – place and experience
  • Storytelling & interpretation

Programme delivery

  • Project leadership and management
  • Owner representation
  • Horticulture, ecology & science
  • Nature domain expert in the design team
  • Interconnected Sustainability domain expert

Diversification and Opportunity Initiatives

  • Learning & education programme development
  • Incremental revenue stream development – events / festivals
  • Driving secondary spend – food & beverage / retail
  • Short term and seasonal programming support

Heligan Professional Services Network