What Earth Trust does

Earth Trust is a UK-registered environmental learning charity (Charity Reg. No. 1095057), founded in 1982 as Northmoor Trust and headquartered in Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire. The organisation manages a portfolio of accessible natural green spaces — including Wittenham Clumps, Little Wittenham Wood, Castle Meadows, and Earth Trust Farm, all within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape — open to the public free of charge 365 days a year. Earth Trust combines three reinforcing activities: land management for biodiversity (approximately 25km of hedgerows, farmland bird monitoring, River of Life wetland restoration), outdoor education delivery (Earth School, Earth Explorers, Earth Skills, and the Brickability-funded Inspiring Future Green Leaders programme reaching schools across Reading), and policy influence through Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Nature 2030 campaign.

The organisation's core physical assets centre on the Earth Trust Centre, which includes the 2021-built Earth Lab — a sustainable education facility using glulam beams, rammed earth walls, ModCell straw insulation panels, and a wildflower green roof — alongside the Innovation Hub meeting spaces and the 19th-century Fison Barn used for venue hire. The multi-phase Gateway to Nature programme is the principal infrastructure initiative: Phase 1 (completed 2021) delivered Earth Lab and the Innovation Hub, while Phase 2 (commencing April 2025, completion through 2027) adds a new access track from Sires Hill, an ~80-space car park, a grab-and-go cafe, and a nature-based adventure playscape. An archaeological partnership with DigVentures has uncovered over 15,000 artefacts at Wittenham Clumps, including an Iron Age blacksmith's workshop, anchoring a heritage programming vertical.

Earth Trust operates a diversified non-profit revenue model combining charitable grants and trust funding (notably £1.49m from the Local Growth Fund via Oxfordshire LEP), individual donations and fundraising (Green Gifts ranging from £15 tree sponsorships to £125 hedgerow sponsorships), recurring membership subscriptions, fee-based education programmes (e.g., Spring on the Farm at £12/child, Outdoor Explorer Camp at £55/child/day), dry-hire wedding and corporate venue hire (Fison Barn, Earth Trust Centre), and forthcoming commercial income from the Phase 2 cafe and playscape. Customer segments span schools, families, wedding couples, individual supporters, corporate partners, and the general public across Oxfordshire, Reading, and South East England, with governance provided by a Board of Trustees under Co-Chairs Sarah Hendry and Frank Nigriello and CEO Jayne Manley.

Name

Earth Trust

Legal name

Earth Trust

Website

https://earthtrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Earth Trust is a UK environmental charity (founded 1982) that manages accessible green spaces in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape while delivering outdoor education, heritage programming, wedding and corporate venue hire, and biodiversity policy advocacy across Oxfordshire and Reading.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI)

Keywords

• Environmental conservation
• Outdoor education
• Nature reserve management
• Community engagement
• Venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Wittenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire (Weddings, Corporate, Parties): Earth Trust generates revenue through dry-hire venue rental of its heritage barn spaces (Fison Barn, Earth Trust Centre) for weddings, corporate events, and private parties. The venue is set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now North Wessex Downs National Landscape) in rural Oxfordshire. Dry hire model gives clients full flexibility to arrange their own suppliers.
2. Education Experiences: Fee-based outdoor learning programmes for school children (KS1-KS4), young people, and adults. Includes Earth School, Earth Explorers, Earth Skills, Spring on the Farm, and Outdoor Explorer Camp. Revenue from ticket sales per child (e.g., Spring on the Farm £12 per child, Outdoor Explorer Camp £55 per child per day).
3. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership programme inviting supporters to join the Earth Trust community of changemakers. Members receive communications, updates, and are part of the donor community supporting the charity's mission.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Philanthropic support including one-time donations, regular giving, and event-based fundraising (e.g., Oxford Half Marathon team). Green Gifts allow donors to sponsor wildlife, trees, hedgerows, bird boxes, and nest boxes. The organisation is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.
5. Green Gifts (Sponsorship): Range of sponsorship packages allowing donors to support specific causes: sponsor a tree (£15), sponsor a thicket (£30), sponsor a quarter mile of hedgerow (£125), sponsor a nest box (£45). These are treated as donations supporting charitable objectives.
6. Charitable Grants and Trust Funding: Funding from charitable trusts, foundations, and government grant programmes (e.g., £1.49m Local Growth Fund via Oxfordshire LEP for Earth Lab). Project-specific grants from Aspen Trust, Patsy Wood Trust, Sir Martin Wood and Lady Audrey Wood, The Banister Charitable Trust, Kathleen and David Lucas, and others.
7. Gateway to Nature Paid Facilities: Phase 2 of the Gateway to Nature programme includes paid-access nature playscape and grab-and-go cafe generating new income streams to diversify revenue and support longer-term financial viability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Earth Trust is a UK-registered environmental charity that manages accessible natural green spaces (including Wittenham Clumps, Little Wittenham Wood, Castle Meadows and Earth Trust Farm) in rural Oxfordshire free of charge 365 days a year. It delivers fee-based outdoor education experiences for schools and families, hires heritage venues (Fison Barn, Earth Trust Centre) for weddings, corporate events and parties, and operates charitable fundraising, membership and Green Gifts sponsorship programmes to support its conservation mission.

Product overview

Earth Trust is an environmental charity offering a portfolio of nature-based products and services centered on accessible green spaces in Oxfordshire. Their core offerings include venue hire (Fison Barn for weddings and corporate events), education facilities (Earth Lab and Innovation Hub), and educational programs (Earth Explorers, Earth School, Earth Skills). Gateway to Nature is a major infrastructure project improving visitor access to Wittenham Clumps with new parking, cafe, and play facilities. Additional services include Green Gifts sponsorship packages and the Inspiring Future Green Leaders school program. The organization manages nature reserves including Wittenham Clumps, Little Wittenham Wood, and Earth Trust Farm, providing public access 365 days a year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fison Barn Venue Hire Dry-hire venue rental of a restored 19th-century barn and the Earth Trust Centre for weddings, corporate events and private parties, set within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape in rural Oxfordshire.
• Education Experiences Curriculum-linked outdoor learning programmes (Earth School for KS1-KS4, Earth Explorers, and Earth Skills) delivered to school children, young people and adults through hands-on activities in Earth Trust's green spaces.
• Green Gifts Sponsorship Packages Charitable sponsorship packages allowing donors to fund specific conservation items, including tree sponsorship (£15), thicket sponsorship (£30), quarter-mile of hedgerow (£125) and nest box sponsorship (£45).
• Inspiring Future Green Leaders Three-year environmental education programme for Reading schools delivering in-school and off-site outdoor learning sessions, including Brilliant Biodiversity sessions, funded by the Brickability Group Foundation.
• Earth Trust Membership Annual membership programme inviting supporters to join the Earth Trust community of changemakers, with regular communications and updates as part of the donor community supporting the charity's conservation mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45-46% of surveyed children said they love spending time in natural spaces; 85% want to see more wildlife areas or food growing at their school; 98% enjoy learning about the planet and wildlife (from Caversham Primary Year 5 pre-visit survey of 210 students)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Edgar Taylor (principal contractor)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Appointed as principal contractor for Phase 2 Gateway to Nature infrastructure works (access to highway, track, car park, drainage). Other contractors engaged for landscaping and cafe construction elements.
• DigVenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchaeological partnership conducting excavations at Wittenham Clumps. DigVentures created a free archaeological dig site map for Earth Trust showing significant findings. Partnership has uncovered over 15,000 artefacts including an Iron Age blacksmith's workshop and Roman lap dog remains. Joint podcast episodes and the Archaeology Festival of Discovery are co-hosted.
• The Oxford TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Spring Festival prize draw, co-promoting the event and cross-sharing audiences between science/education and environmental charities.
• British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarth Trust participates in BTO surveys including the CES (Constant Effort Site) programme at Little Wittenham Wood since 2000. Bird monitoring data is recorded with the BTO survey, contributing to national conservation reporting on UK breeding bird populations.
• Wedding Suppliers NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEarth Trust maintains a curated list of recommended local wedding suppliers including caterers (Greens Catering, Fingers and Forks, Nyama Catering, etc.), bar suppliers (In Fine Spirits, Earth Ale Brewing, Loose Cannon Brewery), florists (Running Wild Flowers, Green and Gorgeous Flowers), photographers (Raj & Jade Photography, Darren Weston Photography, Nicola Belson Photography), and event planners. These suppliers know the venue and have been vetted by the events team.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Plantlife: UK plant conservation charity operating nature reserves and engaging the public in wildflower and plant conservation. Comparable size and revenue model to Earth Trust, with similar focus on engaging communities in biodiversity action.
• Woodland Trust: UK charity focused on woodland conservation and public access. Similar size and structure to Earth Trust, manages tree-planting programmes, free public access sites, and education programmes, with comparable revenue mix of memberships, donations, and grants.
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT): Operates nine wetland visitor sites across the UK with public access, education programmes, and conservation focus. Closely comparable operating model to Earth Trust — paid entry, school programmes, conservation land management, and venue hire.
• Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT): The local Wildlife Trust covering the same Oxfordshire/Reading geography as Earth Trust. Operates nature reserves open to the public, runs school education programmes, manages land for biodiversity, and competes directly for the same school partnerships, members, and volunteer base.

Broad incumbents

• Eden Project: Eco-attraction and educational charity in Cornwall running visitor experiences, education programmes, and venue hire from sustainable built infrastructure. Comparable to Earth Trust's Earth Lab in combining sustainability-credentialed venues with environmental education.
• National Trust: The UK's largest conservation charity, managing historic estates, gardens, and countryside for public access. Operates a wedding venue business, education programmes, and membership model that closely parallels Earth Trust's structure but at vastly greater scale.
• Canal & River Trust: UK charity managing 2,000+ miles of waterways with public access, education programmes, venue hire, and conservation work. Comparable business model spanning free public access, paid education, weddings/events, and membership fundraising — at much larger scale.
• The Wildlife Trusts (Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts): Umbrella federation of 46 local Wildlife Trusts across the UK. Operates nature reserves, runs education programmes, manages land for biodiversity, and runs membership/fundraising campaigns comparable to Earth Trust's model.
• RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds): UK's largest bird conservation charity operating nature reserves, education programmes, and membership-based fundraising. Earth Trust's farmland bird monitoring and Big Farmland Bird Count participation position it as a much smaller complement to RSPB's national reserve network.

Emerging players

• People's Trust for Endangered Species: UK conservation charity focused on endangered species and habitat management. Smaller scale than Earth Trust but operates comparable land conservation, education, and volunteer engagement programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/earth_trust
• Facebookfacebook.com/EarthTrustUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/earth_trust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earth-trust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Earth Trust