More than 50 hospitality businesses from across Cornwall came together on Earth Day (Wednesday 22 April 2026) for Roots: Planet – the county’s first sector wide sustainability event designed specifically for the hospitality industry.
Hosted at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, a natural home for conversations around people, planet and purpose, the inaugural event was delivered by member led Community Interest Company Cornwall Hospitality Collective (CHC) and brought together operators ranging from cafés and bars to award winning hotels, visitor attractions, producers and suppliers.
Roots: Planet provided a shared, inclusive space where businesses at every stage of their sustainability journey could learn side by side, exchange challenges and practical solutions, and hear directly from some of Cornwall’s leading sustainability voices through talks, panels and hands on workshops.
James Cavanagh Shaddock, co founder and director of Cornwall Hospitality Collective, said: “Roots: Planet was created because there has never been a countywide space where hospitality businesses of all sizes could come together to talk openly and practically about sustainability, learn from one another, and share challenges and ideas. What we saw on Earth Day was exactly that – honest conversations, real examples and a genuine willingness to learn, whether you’re a one person operation or a large hotel. That shared sense of purpose is what makes Cornwall’s hospitality sector so special, and why we’re proud to represent and support it through our member led collective.”
The programme featured speakers working across every scale of hospitality, including sustainability leaders from The Headland Hotel, St Austell Brewery, Watergate Bay Hotel, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, and award winning independent bar Tom Thumb. Discussions focused on making sustainability practical and commercially viable, covering topics such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, team engagement, supplier partnerships and credible storytelling.
Jamie Garfield of Tom Thumb in Newquay, one of the UK’s most sustainable bars and a CHC member, said: “One of the most powerful things about the event was that everyone was in the room together – independents, larger hotels and suppliers – all talking honestly about what sustainability looks like in practice. It was incredibly refreshing and showed that meaningful change, without losing sight of the bottom line, is possible at any scale.”
Alongside talks and panels, delegates explored a showcase of Cornish food, drink and sustainability suppliers, highlighting planet positive products and services already being used across the county.
The Earth Day event marks the first in a new series of sustainability focused events from CHC, aimed at strengthening Cornwall’s hospitality sector through collaboration, practical learning and shared solutions.
Roots: Planet was delivered by Cornwall Hospitality Collective in collaboration with The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Watergate Bay Hotel, The Headland Hotel and Zero Carbon Company, with sponsorship from OH4 and Cornish Tea & Coffee, and further support from St Austell Brewery, Truro and Penwith College and The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
To learn more about CHC and its membership, which is free for start ups or from £18 per month for hospitality businesses, visit cornwallhospitalitycollective.org.
