COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST

Registered charity 1144788 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as CET

We are an environmental charity seeking to protect and enhance urban green space in Birmingham by delivering projects such as Confidence Through Conservation, which aims to help the young and unemployed learn valuable transferable skills via conservation work, and Forest Schools, which engages with school children and uses open green space to provide learning opportunities.

Objects

A) THE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PHYSICAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFITB) TO FURTHER BENEFIT THE RESIDENTS OF BIRMINGHAM WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, RACE OR OF POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS OR OTHER OPINIONS TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION IN RELATION TO A) ABOVE AND TO PROVIDE FACILITIES IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR RECREATION AND LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE FOR THE RESIDENTSC) THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY FOR CHILDREN FROM LOCAL SCHOOLS AND YOUNG ADULTS AGED 18-25, USING THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOLD) THE PROMOTION OF HEALTH BY PROVIDING OR ASSISTING IN THE PROVISION OF ORGANISED OUTDOOR ACTIVITIESE) WHERE IT IS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT TO PROVIDE OR TO CARRY OUT MAINTENANCE OR IMPROVEMENT OF:I) A COMMUNITY GARDENII) ANY OTHER PUBLIC AMENITY

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Birmingham, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£74k

Latest spending

£115k

Registered

2011

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred a net expenditure of £41,117 for the year, a significant reversal from the previous year's surplus, driven by the loss of major school contracts and staff absences. Per the trustees' report, the organization remained financially secure due to strong reserves, which were held at £124,981 in unrestricted funds at the end of the period. The trustees acknowledge the need to identify new income-generating opportunities to ensure long-term financial resilience.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Schools (41% of income)

“Income from Schools Forest Schools remained the largest single source of income during the reporting period. CET received £16,932 in unrestricted funds from participating schools.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: three months of unrestricted payments (reserves figure: £125k)

“It is the charity’s policy to ensure that the reserves account holds enough money to ensure that the charity remains financially secure, capable of meeting its obligations and maintaining its operations for at least three months.” — page 35

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 12
Government income: £2,000 — grants £2,000 (1); 3% of the £73,530 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024

Volunteers: 15
Government income: £15,966 — grants £15,966 (2); 10% of the £167,515 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023

Volunteers: 10
Government income: £5,000 — grants £5,000 (1); 4% of the £136,873 total gross income on the same return

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook

Trustees · trustee networks

Beverley Karen Frost
Dr Alison Wilkes
MRS LYNNE WITKAMP
Mary McManus
Troy Yeomans · trustee of 1 other charity

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Birmingham City

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£74k	£115k
31/03/2024	£168k	£132k
31/03/2023	£137k	£121k
31/03/2022	£107k	£112k
31/03/2021	£92k	£85k

Common questions

Is COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred a net expenditure of £41,117 for the year, a significant reversal from the previous year's surplus, driven by the loss of major school contracts and staff absences. Per the trustees' report, the organization remained financially secure due to strong reserves, which were held at £124,981 in unrestricted funds at the end of the period. The trustees acknowledge the need to identify new income-generating opportunities to ensure long-term financial resilience. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	28/01/2026	£20k	Neighbourhoods for Nature
The National Lottery Community Fund	26/05/2023	£10k	Greening Communities
Birmingham City Council	30/06/2021	£6k	Cultivating Communities - Community Garden
The National Lottery Community Fund	19/03/2021	£10k	Greener Communities
The National Lottery Community Fund	29/11/2018	£7k	Green Communities Together
The National Lottery Community Fund	09/02/2012	£10k	Confidence through Conservation
The National Lottery Community Fund	08/05/2009	£9k	Castle Vale Forest Schools Project

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
ASPEN TRUST	2	£2.3m
THE GROCERS' CHARITY	2	£40k
COMMUNITY FOREST TRUST	1	£1.5m
OGLESBY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£895k
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION	1	£390k
BUPA FOUNDATION	1	£142k
THE ADRIAN SWIRE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£110k
THE STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION	1	£70k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with GREATER MANCHESTER ENVIRONMENT TRUST.

GREATER MANCHESTER ENVIRONMENT TRUST income £1.1m
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT TRUST income £2.7m
COMMUNITY FOREST TRUST income £8.9m
COMMUNITY BY NATURE LTD income £173k
ECOLOGICAL CONTINUITY TRUST income £244k
THE SAYERS CROFT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATIONAL TRUST income £107k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST	£74k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
GREATER MANCHESTER ENVIRONMENT TRUST FY2025	£1.1m	—	0	below	—	no doubt
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT TRUST FY2025	£2.7m	£170,000 - £179,999	—	above	—	no doubt
COMMUNITY FOREST TRUST FY2025	£8.9m	£70,000 - £79,999	2	unclear	—	no doubt
COMMUNITY BY NATURE LTD FY2025	£173k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ECOLOGICAL CONTINUITY TRUST FY2025	£244k	—	—	above	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.