Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust

What Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust does

Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust is an independent registered charity (Charity Number 700638; Company Number 2287928), founded in 1985 and headquartered in Sheffield, UK. It is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts forming the UK's largest voluntary organisation dedicated to wildlife conservation. The Trust manages 15 nature reserves across Sheffield and Rotherham (including Blacka Moor, Greno Woods, Wyming Brook, and Woodhouse Washlands), operates Ughill Farm as a nature-friendly farming demonstration site in the Dark Peak, and delivers community-led conservation through the Nature Recovery Sheffield and Nature Recovery Rotherham networks.

Its operational offering spans evidence-led conservation monitoring, species recovery programmes (notably the 2026 Arvicola Project for upland water voles using eDNA and a custom ESRI UK field survey application), habitat restoration and nature-based solutions (Connecting Limbs river restoration, Living Waters, Rotherham Rivers, natural flood management), and the South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership which has facilitated planting of over 500,000 trees and 7.65km of hedgerows. Ancillary programmes include outdoor learning for schools, the Green and Blue Social Prescribing wellbeing initiative, and inclusive community programmes such as Wild at Heart.

The Trust operates a diversified, multi-stream revenue model: individual/joint/family/gift memberships on monthly subscription, donations and fundraising appeals, an e-commerce online shop selling made-to-order organic cotton merchandise, corporate partnerships (memberships, wild work days, employee wellbeing packages), restricted government and institutional grants (Natural England, Defra/Forestry Commission Trees Call to Action Fund, National Lottery Community Fund, Landfill Communities Fund), legacy gifts, and ecological consultancy through its wholly-owned subsidiary Wildscapes CIC (a CIEEM Registered Practice). Customer segments span individual supporters, corporate partners, schools, community groups, landowners/farmers, and local authorities. The Trust has 51-100 employees and is governed by a Board of Trustees with a post-June 2025 leadership transition following the departure of long-serving CEO Liz Ballard.

Name

Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust

Legal name

Sheffield Wildlife Trust

Website

https://wildsheffield.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust is an independent UK registered charity that manages 15 nature reserves and delivers community-led wildlife conservation, education, and species recovery programmes across Sheffield and Rotherham, funded through memberships, donations, grants, and consultancy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC), Education & Community Outreach (Responsible Pet Ownership) (BPAGAIAK)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation services
• Nature reserve management
• Environmental consultancy
• Community conservation programs
• Outdoor environmental education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Individual, joint, family, and gift memberships providing recurring revenue. Members receive welcome packs, renewal letters, Kingfisher magazine, and updates about Trust activities.
2. Donations and Fundraising Appeals: One-time and recurring donations including specific appeals like Help Our Heathlands, Living Waters, and Acorn Fund. Donations processed via Direct Debit or online payment systems.
3. Online Shop Sales: E-commerce sales of merchandise including clothing (t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts), accessories, and wildlife-related products. All items are made-to-order with 3-5 working day production turnaround.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate membership, wild work days (corporate volunteering), employee wellbeing packages, and social value partnerships with businesses.
5. Government and Institutional Grants: Funding from Natural England's Species Recovery Programme, Trees Call to Action Fund, Landfill Communities Fund, and other government nature recovery initiatives.
6. Wildscapes Consultancy Services: Ecological and land management consultancy services provided through Wildscapes CIC, the Trust's wholly-owned Community Interest Company.
7. Legacy Gifts: Bequests and gifts in wills from supporters leaving legacies to support the Trust's charitable work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust is a registered charity that manages 15 nature reserves and Ughill Farm across Sheffield and Rotherham, delivers community-led Nature Recovery programmes, and provides environmental education, corporate partnerships, and ecological consultancy services through its wholly-owned subsidiary Wildscapes CIC. It funds this work through individual/family memberships, donations, appeals, grants, online merchandise sales, and corporate social-value packages.

Product overview

Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust operates as a conservation organization offering a diverse portfolio of interconnected programmes and services rather than a unified technology product. Core offerings include management of 15 nature reserves across Sheffield and Rotherham, community-led Nature Recovery initiatives in Sheffield and Rotherham, and nature-friendly farming through Ughill Farm. The Trust provides educational programmes for schools and outdoor learning, runs an online merchandise shop with sustainable products, offers membership and corporate partnership schemes, and delivers environmental consultancy through its Wildscapes subsidiary. Additional services include Living Waters river restoration, 30 Days Wild challenge, Nature Based Solutions including the Connecting Limbs River Sheaf project and Rotherham Rivers initiative, South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership for tree planting, Sheffield Swift City conservation, and the Evidence-led Conservation monitoring programme. Wildscapes operates as a CIEEM Registered Practice providing professional ecological consultancy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Programmes Recurring individual, joint, family, and gift memberships giving supporters access to welcome packs, Kingfisher magazine, renewals, and updates about Trust activities.
• Corporate Partnerships B2B packages for businesses including corporate membership, wild work (volunteering) days, employee wellbeing programmes, and social value partnerships.
• Schools Education and Outdoor Learning Currriculum-linked outdoor learning programmes for primary, secondary, further and higher education establishments, including wild play sessions and teacher training.
• Wildscapes Environmental Consultancy CIEEM Registered Practice operated through Wildscapes CIC, providing professional ecology and land management consultancy services to landowners, developers, and public bodies.
• Online Shop E-commerce storefront selling ethically produced made-to-order merchandise including organic cotton clothing, mugs, and accessories, with profits supporting local wildlife and wild places.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record 57 lapwings recorded at Ughill Farm in March 2024 - largest flock since Trust acquired farm in January 2023
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University of ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026University partner in upland water vole research project (Arvicola Project) mapping and protecting water vole populations across Sheffield Lakeland area using environmental DNA and genetic tracking.
• University of StirlingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026University partner in upland water vole research project providing academic expertise in species monitoring and conservation genetics.
• ESRI UKcoreTechnology or Integration · 8 July 2026Technology partner developing custom field survey mobile application for water vole monitoring, allowing volunteers and scientists to record findings directly in the field.
• Yorkshire WatermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026Partner providing fieldwork and survey support for water vole research and species recovery projects in South Yorkshire.
• Natural EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026Funding body and advisory partner for Species Recovery Programme projects. Natural England's Species Recovery Programme funds the Arvicola Project and white-clawed crayfish conservation work.
• Royal Society of Wildlife TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026Co-leader of national white-clawed crayfish project as part of The Wildlife Trusts' conservation initiatives. Partnership coordinates species recovery efforts across the UK.
• University of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Co-organiser of Deep Dive Day establishing a Nature Recovery Academic Learning Community. Partnership aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and community members for nature recovery initiatives over 2-5 years.
• Wildscapes CICcoreOthersCommunity Interest Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust. Trades only to raise funds for the charitable organisation. Provides ecological and land management consultancy services.
• The Wildlife Trusts (46 UK Wildlife Trusts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts forming the UK's largest voluntary organisation dedicated to wildlife conservation.
• South Yorkshire Woodland PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting creation and management of woodlands and trees across South Yorkshire to increase canopy cover for society and wildlife benefit. Includes stakeholder engagement, grant delivery, and tree planting initiatives.
• Sheffield Lakeland Landscape PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership working with local farmers to increase wildlife, implementing natural flood management, and delivering landscape-scale conservation across Sheffield Lakeland area.
• Sheffield Street Tree PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership developing the Street Tree Working Strategy for Sheffield and supporting care of the city's highway trees.
• Sheffield City CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in planning consultations, nature recovery strategies, community forestry initiatives, and urban green space management.
• Kids Plant TreesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal not-for-profit organisation partnered with the Trust and Sheffield City Council for Go Wild! project creating free wild play spaces and tree planting in schools.
• Woodland TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational conservation charity partnered with South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership for tree planting and hedgerow creation initiatives.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds): The UK's largest wildlife charity, with national reserves, advocacy, and significant grant-giving capacity including to local trusts. Comparable in mission but operates at vastly larger scale and overlaps primarily on advocacy, species recovery, and corporate partnership competition.
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT): National wetland conservation charity operating visitor wetlands centres, comparable to nature-reserve management and education programming in Sheffield & Rotherham; larger scale and broader geographic footprint, particularly relevant for Living Waters and Rotherham Rivers programmes.
• National Trust: UK-wide heritage and landscape charity managing countryside estates, often overlapping geographically with Wildlife Trust reserves and competing for the same family membership and corporate partnership audiences. Significant overlap on outdoor learning and visitor-facing nature experiences.
• Woodland Trust: National woodland conservation charity and active partner of Sheffield & Rotherham through the South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership. Competes for similar tree-planting grants and corporate partners but with a national scope and significantly larger reserves base.

Emerging players

• Buglife: UK invertebrate conservation charity focused on species and habitats that overlap with the Trust's nature reserve management work; smaller in scale but a thematic peer in invertebrate recording and conservation advocacy.
• Butterfly Conservation: UK charity dedicated to butterfly and moth conservation, directly relevant given the 24 butterfly species including 3 NERC Act priority species recorded at Ughill Farm. Comparable citizen-science data programmes and habitat management focus.

Direct peers

• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust: Regional Wildlife Trust covering Yorkshire, with overlapping South Yorkshire reserve geography and direct competition for the same Wildlife Trusts network membership base, grants, and corporate partners. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography and member proposition.
• Derbyshire Wildlife Trust: Adjacent regional Wildlife Trust operating across the East Midlands / Peak District border with a comparable mix of moorland reserves, community programmes, and consultancy-style offerings; competes for similar grant funding streams and member demographics in nearby counties.
• Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust: East Midlands Wildlife Trust with similar scale, reserve portfolio, education programmes, and reliance on the same Natural England and Lottery funding pots; comparable organisational structure and membership/donation revenue mix.

Others

• The Wildlife Trusts (Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts): National umbrella body coordinating the 46 UK Wildlife Trusts; operates shared branding, fundraising, and policy advocacy that Sheffield & Rotherham participates in and benefits from. Not a competitor but a federation partner that channels resources and sets shared standards.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WildSheffield
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SheffieldRotherhamWildlifeTrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheWildlifeTrust.SheffieldandRotherham/?locale=en_GB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sheffield-wildlife-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/wildsheffieldandrotherham

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust