Countryside Regeneration Trust

What Countryside Regeneration Trust does

The Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) is a UK-registered charity (No. 1142122) founded in 1993 that operates 16 farmland, woodland, and heathland properties spanning over 2,000 acres across England. Its core activity is nature-friendly farming combined with active conservation: tenant farmers practise regenerative agriculture on CRT-owned land while conservation staff and volunteers run species-monitoring programmes using dormouse footprint tunnels, water vole latrine rafts, bat detectors, and humane smart mink traps. Notable outcomes include the first confirmed hazel dormice at Babers Farm, a Redlist Revival Award for highest density of grey partridge at Lark Rise Farm, and a near-total American mink eradication across roughly 6,000 km² of East Anglia in partnership with Waterlife Recovery Trust.

The organisation runs a diversified product and revenue portfolio. Membership-style 'Friends' subscriptions and donations (including themed appeals such as the £6,000 hazel dormice appeal) provide the financial backbone, supplemented by The Buzz Café at Bere Marsh Farm, Ham Down Woodland Burial Ground (double plot £2,400), accommodation at Turnastone Lodge and Twyford Farm B&B, venue hire (Threshing Barn, Babers Farm hospitality barn), the CRT Shop, MOSAIC school trips, conservation volunteering, corporate volunteering days, and Duke of Edinburgh placements. Tenant farm output (Nutfield Dairy products, Lark Rise Willow osiers at 50p/stem) is sold through local shops, farmers markets, and a converted milk float. Marketing is community-led across owned channels (The Lark magazine, newsletter), organic social (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), and event-driven engagement (farm walks, bat walks, workshops, Groundswell show, Big Butterfly Count).

CRT has 23 staff, a wholly-owned trading subsidiary (Countryside Regeneration Trust Ltd), and a leadership team comprising a Chair of Trustees (Susan Lake), Head of Conservation (Helena Darragh), Head of Estates (Kerriann McLackland), and conservation officers covering Cambridgeshire and East Anglia. Strategic posture in 2026 reflects both expansion (Heathland Connections project at Green Farm in Surrey, ~30 hectares of planned restoration) and financial caution (Trustees reversed a planned sale of Turnastone Court Farm after community feedback and signalled review of further farm-asset disposals).

Name

Countryside Regeneration Trust

Legal name

Countryside Regeneration Trust

Website

https://thecrt.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Countryside Regeneration Trust is a UK conservation charity managing 16 nature-friendly farming properties across 2,000+ acres of England, combining tenant farming, species monitoring, and volunteer programmes to deliver biodiversity outcomes for individual Friends, donors, corporate groups, and community visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Land Management

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210)

SIC

Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regenerative Agriculture (Soil Carbon, Cover Crops, Reduced/No-Till) (AFAGAMAA), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Nature-friendly farming
• Countryside conservation
• Wildlife habitat management
• Farmland biodiversity protection
• Conservation charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Comberton, Cambridgeshire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Friend Subscriptions: Annual membership ('Friendship') subscriptions with options for individual, joint, and family memberships. Includes welcome pack, subscription renewal letters, and magazine (The Lark) mailing.
2. Donations and Appeals: One-time and recurring donations via the website (processed through Stripe), phone, and post. Includes specific nature protection appeals (e.g., hazel dormice appeal, wetland habitat winter appeals). Gift/Dedication donations also accepted.
3. Retail Sales: The Buzz Café at Bere Marsh Farm sells eco-friendly coffee, tea, soft drinks, homemade cakes, and Baboo ice creams and sorbets. The CRT Shop sells products online. Additional apple juice and cider production from farm orchard harvests.
4. Farm Accommodation and Venue Hire: Turnastone Lodge (sleeps up to 8 people, 4 bedrooms, bookings until Dec 2026 via Airbnb); Twyford Farm B&B and Bellflower Cottage run by tenant farmers. Threshing Barn at Bere Marsh Farm available for wake/event hire. Barn at Babers Farm converted to hospitality venue for up to 60 seated guests.
5. Woodland Burial Ground: Ham Down Woodland Burial Ground (2 acres) at Bere Marsh Farm, Dorset. Plots sold with biodegradable coffin requirement. Tree planting at grave. Double plot fee: £2,400.
6. Agricultural Products: Tenant farmers at Brays Farm (Nutfield Dairy) sell yoghurt, butter, and Tomme cheese through local shops, farmers markets, restaurants, and pubs. Dairy products also sold directly via a converted milk float.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

The Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) is a registered UK charity that protects, promotes, and regenerates the British countryside through nature-friendly farming and conservation initiatives. It owns and manages over 16 properties spanning 2,000+ acres of working farms, woodland, pasture, and heathland across England, combining food production with biodiversity outcomes, species monitoring, and public engagement.

Product overview

The Countryside Regeneration Trust operates as a single unified offering focused on nature-friendly farming and countryside conservation, encompassing 16 properties across the UK. The core portfolio includes CRT Stays (Turnastone Lodge and Twyford Farm B&B) providing rural accommodation, The Buzz Café at Bere Marsh Farm, and the CRT Friends membership programme for ongoing supporter engagement. Supporting services include Conservation Volunteering, Corporate Volunteering team days, CRT Events Programme with workshops and educational activities, MOSAIC school trips, Ham Down Woodland Burial Ground, and The CRT Shop. Donations and Appeals provide funding for specific conservation projects. The Trust also offers Duke of Edinburgh volunteering placements and sells Lark Rise Willow from traditional coppice management. All offerings interlock around the central mission of protecting, promoting, and regenerating UK farmland through nature-friendly farming practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Buzz Café: A volunteer-run café located at Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset, offering eco-friendly coffee, tea, soft drinks, and homemade cakes. Open Fridays and Saturdays.
• Nutfield Dairy
• Twyford Farm B&B
• Turnastone Lodge

Products and services

• CRT Stays Rural countryside accommodation offerings across CRT properties, demonstrating nature-friendly farming alongside hospitality. Target customers: families and small groups seeking nature-based holiday stays.
• The Buzz Café Volunteer-run café at Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset offering eco-friendly coffee, tea, soft drinks, homemade cakes, and Baboo ice creams. Open Fridays 10.30am-3.30pm and Saturdays 10.30am-1pm.
• CRT Friends Membership Annual Friends subscription programme (Friendship) with individual, joint, and family membership options. Includes welcome pack, The Lark magazine, newsletter, and membership renewals.
• Donations and Appeals Donation programme including Nature Appeals (e.g. £6,000 hazel dormice appeal), Legacy Donations, Donate in Memory, and general fundraising campaigns supporting conservation work.
• Conservation Volunteering Hands-on conservation work opportunities across CRT farms including habitat management, wildlife monitoring, and general conservation tasks. Volunteers contributed 2,622+ hours May-Nov 2024.
• Corporate Volunteering Corporate team-building volunteer days for businesses, offering practical conservation work such as hedgelaying and habitat restoration with groups of up to 26 participants.
• CRT Events Programme Seasonal events including workshops (mushroom growing, cyanotype printing, willow weaving, moth printing), bat walks, farm walks, Farmers and Makers Markets, and educational talks.
• MOSAIC School Trips Educational farm visits for school groups connecting children with nature-friendly farming and countryside conservation through hands-on experiences.
• Ham Down Woodland Burial Ground 2-acre woodland burial ground at Bere Marsh Farm, Dorset offering eco-friendly burials with biodegradable coffins, native tree planting (Small Leaf Lime, English Oak, Hornbeam, Silver Birch), and natural memorial options. Double plot fee: £2,400.
• The CRT Shop Online shop selling CRT merchandise and products, with items shipped to supporters and visitors.
• Duke of Edinburgh Volunteering Placements Volunteering placements accredited for the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, offering young people conservation experience.
• Lark Rise Willow Sale of willow osiers harvested from Lark Rise Farm, sold as binders for 50p per stem, maintaining traditional coppice management while generating small annual revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,622 hours of conservation tasks completed by volunteers (May–Nov 2024)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Whistlestop ArtsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 June 2026Created the Ambles & Rambles podcast series commissioned by Surrey Hills National Landscape. CRT's Pierrepont Farm featured in Week 2 exploring nature-friendly farming, conservation, and community engagement. Podcast reaches walking and countryside enthusiasts.
• Keystone EnvironmentalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2024Corporate volunteering partnership. 26 employees from Keystone Environmental completed a hedgelaying day at Turnastone Court Farm, finishing a 100m hedge section. Team included employees from habitats, ecology, and office teams. The group also created a dead hedge for habitat connectivity.
• Waterlife Recovery Trust (WRT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2024CRT works closely with Waterlife Recovery Trust (formerly Waterlife Recovery East) on the East Anglia mink eradication project. CRT conservation officers Vince Lea and Emily Coleman coordinate the placement of humane smart traps on riverbanks, recruit and support over 100 volunteers as first responders, and act as backup for traps. The project has achieved near-total eradication of American mink across approximately 6,000 km² of East Anglia, protecting water vole populations. CRT's role is critical for the buffer zone protecting the Core Area from mink incursions.
• Natural EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatural England funds the Heathland Connections project, a national habitat restoration initiative. CRT's Green Farm in Surrey is part of this project, which aims to restore heathland across 28 hectares by converting commercial pine plantations back to heathland mosaic habitat. Natural England funding supports the restoration work.
• National TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Heathland Connections project coordinated by Natural England. Working with CRT, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Surrey Hills Board, and RSPB to create connected heathland corridors allowing species to move across the landscape.
• Surrey Wildlife TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Heathland Connections project working to restore and connect lowland heathland habitats across Surrey. CRT's Green Farm restoration is part of this collaborative effort.
• RSPBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Heathland Connections project. Collaborating with CRT, National Trust, Surrey Wildlife Trust, and Surrey Hills Board on national heathland habitat restoration.
• Surrey Hills BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Heathland Connections project. Also commissioned the Ambles & Rambles podcast featuring CRT's Pierrepont Farm and nature-friendly farming in the Surrey Hills National Landscape.
• People's Trust for Endangered SpeciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRT participates in the National Water Vole Monitoring Programme run by People's Trust for Endangered Species, conducting surveys at Turnastone Court Farm to monitor water vole presence and extent.
• Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the water vole reintroduction project on the River Dore in the mid-2000s, with extensive American mink control measures between 2006 and 2010, following habitat restoration by the Monnow Rivers Association. CRT continues this work at Turnastone Court Farm.
• British Trust for OrnithologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRT conservation officer Dr Vince Lea leads a Farmland Bird Study Walk at Groundswell agricultural show with Gavin Siriwardena, Head of Terrestrial Ecology at British Trust for Ornithology. The walk explores practical habitat management for declining farmland birds.
• Amphibian and Reptile Conservation TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRT works in partnership with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust to monitor reptile populations on Green Farm land in Surrey, supporting broader biodiversity tracking.
• Dorset Bat GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest expert Mariko Whyte from Dorset Bat Group co-leads bat discovery events at Bere Marsh Farm. CRT has monitored bats at the farm for several years, routinely recording 7 of 18 UK bat species.
• Jurassic Coast MushroomsminorOthersMycologist Andy Knott leads mushroom growing workshops at Bere Marsh Farm, teaching log plugging methods and cultivating fungi in gardens and green spaces.
• Forestry CommissioncoreOthersApproved CRT's felling license application for heathland restoration at Green Farm, allowing clear-felling of pine plantation to begin September 2026. Regulates and enables the habitat restoration work.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Trust: Large UK conservation charity with millions of members, owning historic properties, farmland, and coastline. Comparable to CRT in operating nature-friendly land management, membership subscriptions, and corporate partnerships, but on a vastly larger scale and with broader heritage mandate.

Emerging players

• Butterfly Conservation: Specialist UK charity protecting butterflies and moths through habitat management and citizen science (Big Butterfly Count). CRT's butterfly surveys at Lark Rise Farm (462 butterflies, 18 species) and joining the Big Butterfly Count show direct operational overlap.
• Plantlife: UK wild plant conservation charity owning and managing nature reserves including meadows and heathland. Comparable to CRT's meadow management, heathland restoration at Green Farm, and habitat-focused conservation delivery.
• People's Trust for Endangered Species: UK charity running species recovery programmes including the National Water Vole Monitoring Programme and dormouse surveys. CRT coordinates monitoring on its farms as a partner, making the conservation delivery model directly comparable at smaller scale.

Direct peers

• Soil Association: UK charity and organic certification body promoting regenerative and nature-friendly farming. Comparable to CRT's tenant farmer partnerships and regenerative agriculture practices (herbal leys, soil regeneration, low-input farming at Pierrepont and Brays Farms).
• Surrey Wildlife Trust: Local UK wildlife trust managing Surrey nature reserves, including the Heathland Connections project alongside CRT. Direct operational and geographic overlap on Surrey heathland restoration (Green Farm) and farmland conservation.
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT): UK wetland conservation charity operating visitor centres and wetland reserves. CRT's wetland creation at Lark Rise Farm for wading birds and water vole monitoring overlap directly with WWT's wetland conservation focus.
• Woodland Trust: UK charity focused on woodland conservation, acquisition, and restoration, funded by memberships and donations. Comparable to CRT's tree-planting, hedgelaying, and woodland management activities within the broader portfolio of nature-friendly land stewardship.
• RSPB: UK's largest bird conservation charity with nature reserves, members, and farmland bird initiatives. CRT's Grey Partridge Redlist Revival Award, farmland bird study walks with BTO, and partnership on Heathland Connections make it directly comparable on conservation delivery and member-driven funding.
• The Wildlife Trusts: The UK's largest umbrella of 46 local wildlife trusts, operating nature reserves, running conservation volunteer programmes, and selling Friends memberships. Most directly comparable to CRT's model of combining owned land, members, volunteers, and conservation delivery across England.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRTWildlife
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzlM_cZCqMfRpajAvF_POZQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/CRTWildlife
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-countryside-regeneration-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/crtwildlife

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Countryside Regeneration Trust