Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country

What Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country does

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country (BBCWT) is a UK registered charity (no. 513615) and company (no. 01650938), founded in 1980 and headquartered at Centre of the Earth, 42 Norman Street, Birmingham. It is the only charity uniquely focused on protecting, restoring, and creating wildlife-rich accessible spaces across Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Wolverhampton, and operates as one of 47 independent Wildlife Trusts under the umbrella of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, a network collectively comprising over 800,000 members, 40,000 volunteers, and 2,000 staff across the UK.

Its core offering combines physical nature reserves, environmental education services (Wilder Schools Services, Nature Tots, education centres), habitat and species recovery projects, and digital engagement tools including the EcoRecord citizen-science sightings platform, Wildlife Explorer, and Habitat Explorer. The most material recent initiative is the multi-year Championing Nature programme, delivered in partnership with London, Northumberland, and Lancashire Wildlife Trusts and funded by The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon) and Emirates, which targets children, young people, and families in underserved communities with access to green spaces.

BBCWT's revenue is generated through six streams: annual membership subscriptions administered by Direct Debit, one-time and recurring donations and fundraising appeals, fees from education and training services, online shop merchandise sales, legacies and gifts in wills, and corporate/affiliate partnerships including a referral arrangement with Vine House Farm. Distribution is regional and direct, centred on nature reserves, school programmes, an online platform, training courses, and citizen-science events. The organisation holds GDPR and PCI-DSS compliance certifications and reports to the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Name

Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country

Legal name

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country

Website

https://bbcwildlife.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Registered UK charity (est. 1980) that protects, restores, and creates wildlife-rich accessible spaces across Birmingham and the Black Country, operating nature reserves, education programmes, citizen-science tools, and the multi-year Championing Nature initiative for underserved communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Education & Community Outreach (Responsible Pet Ownership) (BPAGAIAK)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation
• Habitat restoration
• Environmental education
• Citizen science
• Nature reserves

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions administered through Direct Debit, providing members with welcome packs, magazines, renewal letters, and access to member-only benefits.
2. Donations and fundraising: One-time and recurring donations from supporters, including fundraising appeals for specific projects and campaigns.
3. Education and training services: Fees from school services, educational programmes, and training courses offered to educators and group leaders.
4. Online shop: Revenue from the online shop selling wildlife-related products, merchandise, and nature-themed items.
5. Legacies and gifts in wills: Gifts and bequests left by supporters in their wills, providing long-term funding support.
6. Corporate partnerships and affinity schemes: Partnership with Vine House Farm for bird seed catalogue, generating referral revenue when supporters purchase through the partnership.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is a registered charity that protects, restores and creates wildlife-rich accessible spaces across Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. It runs a network of nature reserves, delivers environmental education programmes (including Wilder Schools Services and Nature Tots), operates the EcoRecord citizen-science platform, runs training courses, manages conservation campaigns, and offers paid membership and training programmes to the public.

Product overview

The Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust operates as a conservation organization offering community-focused environmental programs and digital tools rather than a traditional software product. Its core offerings include nature reserves access, environmental education services (Wilder Schools, Nature Tots), citizen science platforms (EcoRecord for wildlife sightings submission), online wildlife and habitat explorers, nature recovery initiatives, and the Championing Nature Programme. The organization functions as part of the wider Wildlife Trusts network of 47 independent organizations across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wilder Schools Services Environmental education programme offering services for educators and group leaders, visits to the Trust's environmental education centres, and the Nature Tots early-years activity programme for young children.
• Nature Tots Early-years nature activity programme for young children and their families, delivered at Trust sites such as EcoPark, Birmingham.
• Nature Recovery Services Conservation programmes that protect, restore and create wildlife-rich accessible spaces across Birmingham and the Black Country, including habitat creation and management at local nature reserves and Nature Improvement Areas.
• Championing Nature Programme Multi-year community engagement programme that funds and delivers projects helping children, young people and families in underserved communities access green spaces and develop stronger connections with nature.
• Annual Membership Recurring annual membership subscription administered via Direct Debit that provides members with welcome packs, magazines, renewal letters, and access to member-only benefits in support of the Trust's conservation work.
• Training Courses Fee-based training courses offered to educators, volunteers and members of the public on wildlife identification, conservation and related topics.
• Legacy and Gift in Wills Programme Programme enabling supporters to leave gifts or bequests in their wills to provide long-term funding for the Trust's conservation work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28,539 people engaged across 865 sessions in the Championing Nature programme, with 93% feeling inspired to take action for nature
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• London Wildlife TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Championing Nature programme, collaborating on projects to help underserved communities access green spaces and develop connections with nature.
• Northumberland Wildlife TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Championing Nature programme, collaborating on conservation and community engagement initiatives.
• Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North MerseysidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Championing Nature programme, working together on nature access and conservation projects.
• Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBCWT is one of 47 independent Wildlife Trusts that make up the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, covering the whole of the UK. This network provides shared resources, expertise, and national campaigning capacity.
• The Community Environmental TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal charity partner in the Nature Improvement Area (NIA) project at Castle Vale Meadows, working on habitat creation and community engagement.
• University of WolverhamptonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Nature Improvement Area (NIA) projects, providing research and monitoring expertise for conservation work.
• Vine House FarmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBird seed catalogue partnership where BBCWT promotes Vine House Farm products to members, generating affiliate revenue.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norfolk Wildlife Trust: One of the largest UK regional Wildlife Trusts. Highly comparable in operating model (reserves, education, memberships) and member-base structure, though operating at greater scale in a different region.
• Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Mid-sized regional Wildlife Trust with a similar mix of reserves, education, and membership-driven income. Comparable in scale and operating model to BBCWT, making it a useful benchmark for fundraising efficiency and reserve management.
• London Wildlife Trust: Sister Wildlife Trust operating across London. Directly comparable as a regional Wildlife Trust under the RSWT network with similar reserve, education, and citizen science programmes, and is already a co-delivery partner on the Championing Nature programme.
• Northumberland Wildlife Trust: Sister Wildlife Trust operating in a distinct UK region. Already co-delivering the Championing Nature programme with BBCWT, and operates the same reserve/education/membership model under RSWT.
• Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside: Sister Wildlife Trust operating in an urban/industrial conurbation closely analogous to the Black Country. Already a Championing Nature delivery partner, making the comparison on operations and programme model directly relevant.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust: UK heritage and conservation charity with membership, properties, and education programmes. Overlaps with BBCWT on access-to-nature and outdoor education, but with a much broader heritage remit and substantially larger scale.
• Woodland Trust: National UK charity focused on woodland conservation, tree planting, and access to nature. Comparable in mission (habitat restoration, public engagement, memberships) but with a national remit and different habitat focus.
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB): The UK's largest wildlife conservation charity. Comparable as a membership-driven conservation NGO operating reserves and education programmes, but operates at national scale and across a broader species remit than BBCWT's regional focus.

Emerging players

• Buglife: UK invertebrate conservation charity. Comparable as a specialist advocacy-led conservation NGO that aligns with BBCWT's 'Action for Insects' campaign and broader invertebrate/biodiversity work.
• People's Trust for Endangered Species: UK charity funding species-specific conservation and citizen science. Comparable in citizen-science engagement model (e.g., PTES surveys) and grant-making approach to BBCWT's EcoRecord and reserve work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BBCWildlifeTrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/WTBBC
• Instagraminstagram.com/bbcwildlifetrust
• Xx.com/WTBBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-wildlife-trust-for-birmingham-and-the-black-country

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country