Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

What Yorkshire Wildlife Trust does

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is a registered charity (no. 210807) founded in 1946 as the Yorkshire Naturalists' Trust and rebranded in 1983, operating as the largest voluntary conservation organisation in Yorkshire. It manages over 110 nature reserves across the region and four flagship visitor centres — Potteric Carr (Doncaster), Spurn Discovery Centre (Hull), Living Seas Centre (Flamborough) and Stirley (Huddersfield) — delivering habitat restoration, peatland restoration via the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, landscape-scale projects such as Wild Ingleborough, species monitoring, and statutory engagement through Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

Its product portfolio spans physical assets (reserves and visitor centres), engagement programmes (#TeamWilder community movement, Wildlife Gardening Award, Wildlife Hero Awards), knowledge products (the 2024 State of Yorkshire's Nature report), citizen science (the Volunteer Butterfly Surveyor Programme with Butterfly Conservation and the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme across 40 reserves) and corporate services (Biodiversity Net Gain, Business Membership). Revenue is generated from a diversified mix of Wildlife Guardians membership subscriptions, one-off and recurring donations, legacies and bequests, charitable trust grants, online merchandise sales, and event income, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the Trust recruits members and volunteers through its 110+ reserves, visitor centres, regional events (Yorkshire Puffin Festival, open gardens), digital channels (website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Bluesky, email) and grassroots community organising via #TeamWilder, while pursuing corporate, government and academic relationships for BNG services, advocacy and policy influence with Yorkshire local authorities.

Name

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Legal name

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Website

https://ywt.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is a registered charity founded in 1946 that manages over 110 nature reserves and four flagship visitor centres across Yorkshire, delivering wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, community engagement through #TeamWilder, citizen science and policy advocacy funded by memberships, donations, legacies, grants and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guided Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (Sanctuary/Reserve-Based) (THAAAFAF), Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation services
• Nature reserve management
• Habitat restoration programs
• Biodiversity monitoring services
• Community conservation engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Wildlife Guardians membership programme providing recurring revenue from individual supporters who pay annual or monthly subscriptions for benefits including access to reserves and publications.
2. Donations and appeals: One-time and recurring donations from supporters, including specific appeals such as the Askham Bog Protection Fund and Ingleborough Appeal. Also includes community fundraising activities.
3. Legacies and bequests: Gifts left in supporters' wills, with specific reference to the Joyce Mary Mountain Will Trust that enabled the State of Yorkshire's Nature report.
4. Shop merchandise: Online shop selling wildlife-themed merchandise including the 80th anniversary items.
5. Grant funding: Charitable grants from trusts and foundations such as the Joyce Mary Mountain Will Trust and Christopher Eden Education Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is a registered charity that manages over 110 nature reserves across Yorkshire for the conservation and restoration of wildlife and wild places. The Trust operates four flagship visitor centres, runs the #TeamWilder community empowerment programme, and delivers public engagement, citizen science, and policy advocacy. Revenue is generated through membership subscriptions, donations, charitable grants, legacies, merchandise sales, and Biodiversity Net Gain consulting services.

Product overview

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust operates as a charitable conservation organisation offering a portfolio of interconnected nature-focused products and services. Its core offerings include management of over 110 nature reserves across Yorkshire, flagship visitor centres (Potteric Carr, Spurn Discovery Centre, Living Seas Centre, Stirley), the #TeamWilder community empowerment movement, the Wildlife Gardening Award programme, and the State of Yorkshire's Nature reporting initiative. The Trust also offers membership programmes, volunteer butterfly surveying through the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, and various educational and advocacy programmes. These products collectively serve to protect and restore Yorkshire's wildlife and wild places while engaging communities in nature recovery efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #TeamWilder: Community empowerment initiative launched in 2022 to help Yorkshire's communities act for a wilder future.
• Wildlife Gardening Award

Products and services

• Wildlife Guardians Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 110 nature reserves managed for wildlife
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yorkshire Naturalists' UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Expert partner in producing the State of Yorkshire's Nature report. Published the technical report in a special issue of The Naturalist. Long-standing collaboration on landmark conservation works including the 2024 State of Yorkshire's Nature report.
• Butterfly Conservation YorkshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert partner contributing butterfly monitoring data to State of Yorkshire's Nature report and collaborating on the Volunteer Butterfly Surveyor Programme with UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.
• British Trust for OrnithologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert partner providing bird population data and monitoring information for the State of Yorkshire's Nature report.
• Botanical Society of Britain and IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert partner contributing botanical and plant species data to the State of Yorkshire's Nature report and conservation assessments.
• East Yorkshire Bat GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer group collaborating with community partners to install bat boxes in local graveyards as part of #TeamWilder community activities.
• Welcome to EnglishminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable organisation partnered with #TeamWilder to design and build hedgehog homes for wildlife habitat creation around Hull.
• RHS (Royal Horticultural Society)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show to showcase Hoverfly Haven garden highlighting importance of hoverflies.
• Yorkshire Rewilding NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network contributing to the Hull and East Yorkshire Biodiversity Action Group (HEYBAG) collaboration.
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Recovery Committee chair Dr Jane Smart OBE leads IUCN's Centre for Science and Data, bringing international conservation expertise to YWT's recovery strategies.
• University of YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Jane Hill serves on Nature Recovery Committee as University Research Champion in Environmental Sustainability & Resilience, contributing ecological research expertise.
• Sheffield Hallam UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Ian Rotherham serves as external member of Nature Recovery Committee, bringing expertise as Emeritus Professor with ecological and environmental history background.
• The Wildlife TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYWT is part of the Wildlife Trusts movement, a UK-wide network of 46 local wildlife trusts. Movement-level initiatives include #TeamWilder and collective advocacy campaigns like Restore Nature Now.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Wildlife Trusts: UK-wide federation of 46 independent local wildlife trusts of which YWT is a member. Operates the same charitable model (membership, reserves, conservation) at national scale, running shared campaigns like Restore Nature Now and #TeamWilder, making it the most direct structural counterpart.
• RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds): Largest UK wildlife charity with over 1 million members. Competes for the same donor and volunteer pool, runs a national reserve network, and engages in advocacy and citizen science — overlapping significantly with YWT's model but at national scale.
• National Trust: UK's largest conservation charity with millions of members, managing heritage landscapes, gardens, and nature reserves including significant holdings in Yorkshire. Overlaps with YWT on conservation, public access, and membership fundraising, though its remit extends to built heritage.
• Woodland Trust:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@YorksWildlife
• Facebookfacebook.com/YorkshireWildlifeTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yorkshire-wildlife-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/yorkshirewildlifetrust_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yorkshire Wildlife Trust