#TrusteesWeek is the perfect opportunity to celebrate

This week is #TrusteesWeek and it is the perfect opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to the CRT’s wonderful board of trustees. The past year has been difficult for all of us, but especially those charged with making strategic decisions under immense pressure. The dedication and drive of our trustees has helped the CRT to weather storms and arrive at the exciting place we now find ourselves – a place of huge potential and growth.

A lot of has been demanded of the CRT’s trustees, requiring collaboration, strategizing, tough decisions and, of course, long hours . That we are now in place of growth and looking at a positive future is absolutely testament to their dedication and effective teamwork. As a result, I know that our trustees have the support and confidence of the friends, volunteers, and staff.

The current board comprises a valuable set of skills, including conservationist and farming knowledge, mixed with lots of pragmatism, and a desire to celebrate and promote the excellent work of the CRT. We are now undertaking a huge amount of work to look at every angle of the CRT, understand where we are now, where we want to be, and what we need to do to get there.

Despite the hard work that the past year has demanded, I know that our trustees are not backing down now. They are united in their vision for the next era of the CRT, a future which champions regenerative farming, for the benefit of the countryside and its communities.

I am particularly grateful to Nicholas Watts MBE for taking up the position of Chair at this pivotal moment for the charity.

Nicholas Watts MBE, chair of the board of trustees, said: “I love working with you because the concept of the CRT is so relevant in today’s world, with so much uncertainty out there it is the golden opportunity for us to show the way and make a difference. Everyone is talking about connecting with nature for the benefits to our mental health.”

I am also immensely grateful to David Mills MBE, William Cross, Graham Girling and Tim Scott for their contributions and generosity. The future is bright for us.

- Danielle Dewe, CEO, The Countryside Restoration Trust

Latest

Wildlife Boxes Helping Dormice Thrive

Thanks to generous donations from the public, we've made 20 wildlife boxes for dormice for several of our Countryside Regeneration Trust properties.
Bluebell Walk at Margaret Wood

Enjoy a beautiful walk at Margaret Wood, marvelling at the fabulous bluebells. Stay for a tea, cake and chat afterwards with our amazing team of volunteers.
Meet the Trotters... Bere Marsh Farm’s two new boars Del Boy and Rodders!

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Withie beds provide new habitats for wildlife

Thanks to money raised in our Twelve Gifts of Christmas campaign, we were thrilled to buy new withies to plant in our osier beds at Bere Marsh Farm. These willows will help provide important habitat for wildlife.

School trips on the farm
Volunteer with the CRT

Would you like to help wildlife and do your bit to create a landscape bursting with life? To enjoy quiet time connecting with nature to benefit your wellbeing, or to get stuck into exciting conservation projects with a friendly team? To learn new skills or develop existing ones? Whatever motivates you to consider volunteering, we’d love to have you in our team.
What We Do

The CRT promotes nature-friendly farming to help reverse biodiversity decline and combat climate change. We believe nature is integral to good farming and we protect, promote and regenerate our land and all life on it. We put our philosophy into practice on over 2,000 acres of working farms, small-holdings and woodland across England.
Slow-worms – the gardener’s best friend

The UK has 6 native reptile species including the curious slow-worm (Anguis fragilis). Although serpent-like in appearance, slow-worms are in fact limbless lizards and an amazing example of de-evolution.
Wildlife & Farms

To achieve our vision of a living, working countryside we have purchased 18 sites across the UK, each with their own unique ecosystem and biodiversity.
Conservation Volunteer

This is your chance to get 'down and dirty' to help CRT improve the habitats and environment on our farms, with a wide range of conservation projects and initiatives.
Bere Marsh Farm

Mixed farmland, Dorset
Robin Page

Co-Founder
David Mills MBE

Trustee
Regenerative Farming & CRT

Since our inception we have been working tirelessly to achieve our vision of a living, working countryside, and that is not changing, but in a world that’s in its sixth mass extinction we must evolve to fight this threat.