A LOCAL businesswoman and environmentalist who co-founded ‘The Boston Tea Party’ will be speaking at the Wiveliscombe Civic and Historical Society in January.

Nicky Saunders will reflect on starting several environmentally businesses and share a few tips for current and prospective businesspeople in her talk ‘Boston to Beavers: The trials of a green entrepreneur’.

Nicky’s first enterprise, The Boston Tea Party, was the UK’s first espresso coffee chain and has gone on to be a leader in green initiatives.

Learning From the Land followed, training people to use natural building, including cob and earth.

Then came The Woolly Shepherd, which developed from a local wool insulated packaging firm into a national natural acoustics business famous for making ‘woolly clouds’ to absorb unwanted echo.

More recently, Nicky became a founder of Beaver Trust, a national charity for the reintroduction of beaver-created landscapes.

The environmentalist and entrepreneur will discuss how easy it is to start and build a successful, environmentally sustainable small business in the current climate.

The talk, which will be the first of 2026 for the group, will be held at St Andrew’s Church in Wiveliscombe on Thursday, January 15.

Wiveliscombe Civic and Historical Society holds an annual programme of talks and social events, plus visits to locations of interest around Wiveliscombe.

‘Boston to Beavers: The trials of a green entrepreneur’ will began at 7.30 pm, doors will open at 7 pm.

Tickets can be purchased on arrival. Members of Wiveliscombe Civic and Historical Society can attend the event for free.

There will be refreshments before and after the talk. All are welcome to attend.

For further information about the Civic Society and their talks, contact Pauline Homeshaw 01984 624564 or by emailing [email protected]