Introducing The Herb Society’s New Website
30th June 2026
Always communicating
At the time of our founding in 1927 communication took the form of pamphlets, public meetings and other publications. The incredible reach and network built by the society’s founders was achieved decades before anyone even dreamt of the world wide web. While our purpose and message remains the same as ever, we are happy to take full advantage of the technological developments that enable us to connect with evermore people across the UK and globally.
Technologies move on, and we have embraced the change. Our Student Group and Book Club regularly meet through the medium of Zoom; our events benefit from a combination of online and face to face formats; broad participation in our AGM is enabled by taking this into a digital space. But for a while, our website had been starting to show its age, there were many functions and information we wanted to provide for members and the general public that the old site just wasn’t set up to achieve.
Moving forward
So, the Society has been talking about developing a new website for a few years. It’s quite an undertaking, especially as the team behind the site are all volunteers or part time employees – we need to make very efficient use of the time and skills available to us. But it was clear leading up to our centenary was a great time to do this. Decision made, we could put plans into action.
We wanted a site that would be faster, with a more modern design. We wanted to include more information on The Herb Society history and herbal history in general (there’s so much we can build in this space over the next few years). We were keen to introduce a herbal A-Z, again a resource to be expanded upon over time. And we wanted to ensure members could easily access all the resources they can benefit from – like our archive of browsable Herbs magazines, and the discount codes offered to them by many of our Corporate members for buying herbs, courses, books and training. We’ve also built forums within the site to enable interaction between members in our Book Club and Student Groups, without having to venture into social platforms like Facebook and the like.
Making it happen
We chose Agency for Good as our web design team as they work solely with charities, so they were a good fit for our organisation. A small sub-team of THS trustees worked alongside the Agency for Good team to specify, design, build, populate and test the new website. Our focus throughout has been on creating the best possible experience for members and potential members. Ironing out the wrinkles of signing up and renewing membership; ensuring the benefits are easily accessible. We want all members to get the full package of access to information, networks and discounts that we provide. Far too many weren’t aware of all these great elements of being a member.
Open to all
In addition, the website is our ‘shop window’ communicating to all about the herbal world, the concerns we champion and the support we provide. The Herb Society is the only UK educational charity that offers membership to people who want to enjoy learning about herbs for medicine, wellbeing, food, drinks, gardening, community, woodlands, history, folklore, crafts, household uses, nature, and more. Our website needed to show the connecting role The Herb Society plays in this world and encourage people to become a part of it, whichever direction they come from. We hope that by offering up such a trove of information and resources, we’ll be able to welcome many more members to The Herb Society over coming years. We all benefit from the strength and sharing available in a healthy and diverse membership.
Tell us what you think
As the herbal year moves at pace through summer, we’re launching the new site buoyed by the hope and abundance associated with the time of the solstice. Please celebrate with us this fresh new look. Explore all there is to offer and let us know what you think.
We’re always happy to receive contributions to the site from members, perhaps you’re able to provide a book review, a herbal profile, an article or you may have an event to list. Make yourself a home in the members area, join conversations in the forums, or start your own thread. Engage and make this a society you want to be part of, find like-minded allies here, and a very warm welcome.