friends of the lake district

What friends of the lake district does

Friends of the Lake District is a UK-registered conservation charity (charity number 1100759, company limited by guarantee number 04878364) founded in 1934 and headquartered at Murley Moss in Kendal, Cumbria. Its mission is to protect Cumbria's landscapes for nature, for people, and in perpetuity, combining long-horizon policy campaigning with on-the-ground land management, conservation volunteering, and community engagement. The organization owns or manages approximately 606 hectares of land, runs programs including Fix the Fells footpath sponsorship, Hedges & Edges hedgerow restoration, Cumbrian Rainforest restoration, the Dark Skies initiative, and active campaigns on Fairer Housing, a Visitor Levy, and the Lakes Litter Appeal.

Name

friends of the lake district

Legal name

Friends of the Lake District

Website

https://friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Friends of the Lake District is a Kendal-based UK conservation charity, founded in 1934, that protects Cumbria's landscapes through land management, campaigning, and community engagement. It serves local residents, visitors, and members via donations, memberships, and volunteer programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAC

Land Trusts & Protected Areas

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYAFAMAMAH

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services

Agriculture & Food Production/Forestry & Logging/Forest Ecosystem Services

SECONDARYBPAGALAC

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

Keywords

• Landscape conservation
• Habitat restoration
• Conservation charity
• Volunteer conservation
• Environmental campaigning

Headquarters

HQ city

Kendal

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership: Annual membership fees that provide ongoing supporter engagement and recurring revenue for the charity's operations.
2. Donations: General donations and specific appeal donations from supporters. Gift Aid scheme allows the charity to claim 25p per £1 donated from HMRC for eligible UK taxpayers.
3. Gifts in Wills (Legacies): Legacies left in supporters' wills, which the charity states make up 50% of their fundraising income. Can be residuary gifts (percentage of estate) or pecuniary gifts (specific amounts).
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of landscape gifts and merchandise including cards, books, and promotional items through their shop.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partnerships with opportunities for volunteer events and corporate giving, such as HSBC sponsored dry stone walling projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Friends of the Lake District is an independent conservation charity that protects Cumbria's landscapes through direct land management of 606 hectares, practical volunteer conservation workparties, policy campaigning (Fairer Housing, Visitor Levy, Lakes Litter, Dark Skies), and habitat restoration projects including hedgerow planting (10,836 trees, over 5km of hedgerows), dry stone wall rebuilding, and native woodland and rainforest restoration. The organisation also runs events, walks, talks, educational programs, and a merchandise shop, with all activity funded by membership fees, donations, gifts in wills, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

Friends of the Lake District offers a portfolio of conservation programs, advocacy campaigns, and engagement opportunities rather than a unified tech product. Core offerings include membership and donation programs supporting 606 hectares of managed land, volunteer conservation workparties, and educational events. The organization runs major campaigns including the Fairer Housing initiative, Visitor Levy advocacy, and Hedges & Edges restoration project. supplementary offerings include technical publications and guides, and legacy giving programs through wills.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Postcard from the Lakes: Monthly e-newsletter of Friends of the Lake District
• Fix the Fells
• Hedges and Edges
• Cumbrian Rainforest
• Fairer Housing, Stronger Communities
• Lakes Litter Appeal
• 5 Miles with Smiles
• Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme

Quantifiable outcome

• 606 hectares of land under management
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HSBCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSBC corporate partner involved in dry stone walling projects at High Borrowdale. Example of corporate sponsorship for practical conservation work.
• Growing Well (Kendal site)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partnership for Forage & Feast events held at Low Sizergh Farm. Growing Well manages the Kendal site where hedgerow foraging education events take place.
• The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to use the Great British Hedgerow Survey method for citizen science hedgerow biodiversity mapping. Survey data uploaded to PTES website and sent to Cumbrian Biodiversity Data Centre.
• Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme (WDLPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership project led by Friends of the Lake District during which they collect and process personal data. Includes Our Common Heritage Project with oral history interviews. Funding extended until February 2024.
• Lake District National Park PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder forum comprising representatives of business, civil society, and the two Cumbrian unitary authorities, as well as the National Park Authority itself. Develops the five-year plan for the Lake District National Park.
• Cumbrian Biodiversity Data CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHedge survey data collected by volunteers is shared with the Cumbrian Biodiversity Data Centre to build a picture of hedge habitat health in Cumbria.
• YouGovminorOthersCommissioned polling organization for visitor levy survey of over 2,000 people including residents, past visitors, and upcoming visitors to understand support and funding priorities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Wildlife Trusts: A federation of 46 local wildlife trusts across the UK managing nature reserves and running conservation programmes. Directly comparable land-management and volunteer-engagement model, with Cumbria Wildlife Trust being a member of this federation.
• Friends of the Earth: A UK environmental campaigning charity focused on advocacy, lobbying, and supporter mobilisation. Comparable in its campaign-led model (e.g., Fairer Housing, visitor levy) and dependency on grassroots donations and member-led activism.
• Woodland Trust: The UK's largest woodland conservation charity, focused on tree planting, ancient woodland protection, and forestry advocacy. It overlaps with Friends of the Lake District on tree planting (10,836+ trees annually) and hedgerow/woodland restoration work.
• National Trust: The UK's largest conservation charity, managing over 250,000 hectares of countryside and historic places. It overlaps directly with Friends of the Lake District on land stewardship, membership-based fundraising, and countryside advocacy, but operates nationally and at much greater scale.
• RSPB: The UK's largest wildlife charity, focused on bird and broader species conservation, with a large membership base and reserves network. Comparable as a mass-membership conservation charity running campaigns and managing land for nature.

Regional players

• British Mountaineering Council: A membership organisation advocating for access to the UK countryside, including upland path maintenance and rural planning issues. Comparable in its UK-wide membership model and focus on access/conservation issues that overlap with the Lake District's outdoor economy.
• Cumbria Wildlife Trust: A regional wildlife charity operating across Cumbria, managing nature reserves and running volunteer-driven conservation programmes. It is the closest geographic and operational peer, also dependent on memberships, donations, and grants in the same catchment.

Direct peers

• Plantlife: A wild-plant and fungi conservation charity running habitat restoration and advocacy programmes across the UK. Comparable in its focused biodiversity remit, volunteer-driven survey work (e.g., hedgerow surveys), and small-staff national model.
• CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England): A countryside advocacy charity focused on protecting rural England from inappropriate development. It is highly comparable in its campaigning, planning-application review, and policy-influence activities, with a similarly membership-driven funding model.

Others

• Lake District National Park Authority: The statutory body that manages the Lake District National Park and develops its five-year plan. Not a competitor but a direct partner and counterpart, shaping policy and funding that Friends of the Lake District campaigns around.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FriendsofLakes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@friendsofthelakes
• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendsoftheLakeDistrict
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-the-lake-district
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsoflakes

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 friends of the lake district