Hidden Heroes Campaign
Welcome to Hidden Heroes, the global fungi campaign, dedicated to helping everyone appreciate fungi and the important planetary service they provide. Our campaign has something for everyone.
Why take part
Fungi underpin life on earth. They recycle most of the decayed matter on this planet, store and transfer 36% of man-made carbon emissions each year, provide us with the active ingredients found in some of our most popular medicines and keep 80% of plant life in existence. Fungi provide a myriad of critical eco-services which we are not able to do without. Yet, they go unnoticed and unappreciated by so many. Fungi are all around us, unfolding underfoot and popping up in nooks and crannies. It is time we noticed these hidden heroes.
Join in!
Join the Hidden Heroes Campaign to reduce your environmental footprint, help conserve and harness nature, boost your health, and raise awareness. See our fungi-based campaign activities and events below.
Conserve nature
Contribute to fungi conservation in fewer than 2 minutes
Discover, photograph and promote the fungi on your doorstep by uploading photos of the fungi you find on the iNaturalist app. Your sightings and accompanying photos are shared with scientific data repositories, like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, to help scientists understand where conservation efforts are needed. We have also created some social media assets so you can encourage others to join in.
Raise awareness
Raise awareness for threatened fungal species
Download our posters on threatened species and put these up in your work and study places to encourage more people to keep a look out for rare fungal species. We would encourage anyone that takes part in searching for threatened species to record any sightings on the iNaturalist app (see above). We have also included social media assets in case you would like to promote this activity to family and friends.
If your location is not covered, please contact us and we will check if a threatened species exists in your area and develop a poster for you.
Reduce your footprint
Indulge in mycogastronomy in the month of October
​Delight in mycogastronomy and try the myriad of mushroom dishes at our participating restaurants. Mushrooms are versatile, delicious and are a great source of protein, minerals and antioxidants (mushroom dependent).
Restaurants are invited to take part in our mycogastronomy campaign and help give mushrooms a platform. All you need to do is make sure you include 3 mushroom or mycoprotein inspired dishes on your menu in October.
Connect with nature
Enter our fungi photo competition
Enter our photo competition between 1st of September and 31st of October. This provides you with the perfect opportunity to get out into nature and refine your photography skills. If you are feeling doubly adventurous, you can also take some photos with your smart phone and upload these to the iNaturalist app (see above)..
Harness nature
Attend our fungal technologies podcast
Entrepreneurs all over the world are realising that fungi have the ability to solve many of our current climate-related challenges, from removing pollution, creating low carbon materials, improving plant-life and sequestering more carbon. Join us for our first podcast appearance with Future Planet, launching on 21st October, where you will be able to hear first-hand from the companies who are changing the world by leveraging fungal technologies. (Photo by Jolanta Thieme)
Connect with nature
Join a truffle hunt
Ever wondered what it takes to find an elusive truffle? Join Melissa Waddingham, the truffle hunter, who will take you on an adventure to learn all about the secret lives of truffles, their ecology, their tell tail signs and their habitat. You will be shown how to forage, protect, clean and prepare truffles ready for use in the kitchen. You will also be shown how to return dried truffles to the wild, using truffle trimmings not fit for consumption from the kitchen, so that more trees and their communities can benefit from them as much as we do. Melissa’s hunting session will take place on 25th October in Lewes. We have 15 spots, so book early to avoid disappointment. (Photo by Chuttersnap, Unsplash)
Increase your knowledge
Take our free Fungi and Sustainability training
Take our free 15-minute Fungi and Sustainability training and deepen your understanding of fungi's critical role in ecosystems and learn how to include fungi-inclusive strategies into your thinking and workplace. You will first cover what is a fungus and understand more about the "the wood-wide web". Second, you will learn why fungi are important and their interconnectedness across multiple ecosystems. Lastly, you will develop skills to become mycologically inclusive so you can start to take action immediately. At the end of the training, you will be well-versed on how to adopt a fungi-first approach. This training was sponsored and developed by Empacto, experts in automated training creation for sustainability and compliance functions globally. Curious about creating customised trainings at scale? Then contact Max from Empacto.
Boost your health
Attend our Fungi, Forage and Feast in-person event
Welcome to our in-person fungi event held at the amazing Bingham Riverhouse in Richmond, London. Join us on a fascinating adventure of all things fungi on 16th October. You will be able to meet fungi start ups in the wellness space and delight in mushroom inspired canapes. Our keynote speaker at the event, Alexandra Lea, a well renowned medicinal forager, will provide a talk about medicinal fungi, how to find these and use them to supercharge your wellness.
Boost your health
Learn how mushrooms can improve your wellness
Join us for an online fireside chat with Jason Scott, founder of Feral Fungi. Jason has a wealth of experience and has dedicated much of his life to helping others improve their wellness with the help of mushrooms (known as functional mushrooms). If you are curious to know more, then join us for a one hour session on 4th November at 6pm, where you will be able to understand more about functional mushrooms, their benefits and where to find the best supplies.
Increase your knowledge and connect with nature
Attend our Hidden Heroes talk and forest walk at the Richmond Sustainability Forum
Join Emma Howcroft at the Richmond Sustainability Forum, taking place in Orleans House on 14th October, to learn how we can leverage fungi to achieve sustainable outcomes. Emma will be discussing how fungi are critical to helping humanity stay within planetary boundaries. She will explain how fungi can improve agricultural yields, be used as nature-based solutions and low carbon substrates before turning to mycoremediation. Emma will also cover how people can get involved in the Hidden Heroes Campaign, before inviting folks out on a walk in Orleans House’s micro-forest to listen to fungi and learn about to how to take part in fungal conservation. Emma's session runs from 5pm - 7pm.
Grow your on food
Organise a mushroom growing experience and team day out
Organise a Mushroom Growing Experiences for your next corporate team building event and bring people together through a hands-on, collaborative activity that sparks conversation, teamwork and curiosity. By learning how fungi underpin healthy ecosystems, you and your team will gain a fresh perspective on sustainability and regenerative practices they can apply in their work.
Growing mushrooms demonstrates how waste can be turned into nutritious food, making sustainability tangible and inspiring. Caley Bros' sessions can also be designed to support CSR goals, with kits prepared for schools, community gardens, or ecological projects - ensuring a wider social and environmental impact. Each participant takes away their own grow kit and new insights to share back at home and work, while the sheer amazement of watching mushrooms transform and fruit within weeks leaves a lasting sense of wonder.
Increase your knowledge
Immerse yourself in the mycoverse
We have curated our favourite books, films and resources about fungi. Whether you are simply curious to learn more or want to use fungi to meet some of your sustainability challenges at work, this tailored library should help you get started. You do not have to be a fungi enthusiast to enjoy these resources...but you may feel inclined to become one.
Raise awareness
Encourage your company to become mycologically inclusive
Advocate for the use of the term funga in your sustainability and/or nature efforts at work. Across every spectrum of life, we prioritise fauna over flora, and do not even think to include funga. Considering how integral funga is to life on earth, it is high time we elevated this kingdom and considered it equal to fauna. The Fungi Foundation have created a guide for employees to help their organisations become more mycologically inclusive. This guide is well suited to any organisation which is planning to create or already has a sustainability narrative.
Stay connected
Be part of the Hidden Heroes community
Join one of our two social media channels - Instagram or Linked In - to remain connected to the campaign and get updates. We would also encourage you to add your own content and share your campaign-related experiences. Please use the #HiddenHeroesCampaign when searching for or posting content about the campaign.
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We are in the process of preparing a fungi photo and sound exhibition: #SoundsoftheUndergound. We will be adding some of our draft recordings to our social media accounts so you can track our progress. We expect to be able to share more content about the exhibition specifically in autumn, once fungi season is in full swing.
Proudly sponsored by the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames
The Hidden Heroes Campaign is located in the Borough of Richmond Upon Thames which is one of London's most mycologically diverse boroughs. We are exceptionally grateful to have council support to kick start our fungi campaign and increase the accessibility of fungi for all.
