BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST

Registered charity 204330 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BBONT, BBOWT, BERKS BUCKS & OXON WILDLIFE TRUST, BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE NATURALISTS' TRUST LIMITED, BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED

BBOWT is the only voluntary organisation concerned with all aspects of nature conservation in Berks, Bucks & Oxon. We care for 85 nature reserves that are safe havens for rare & endangered species & habitats. We encourage all sectors of the community to learn about & care for our natural heritage. We work with other landowners & seek to influence decisions to safeguard important wildlife habitats.

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

Latest income

£10.9m

Latest spending

£8.9m

Registered

1962

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity ended the year with a surplus of £2,045k, driven by the sale of its office building and increased membership income. Per the trustees' report, free reserves of £3,545k are held, which is above the stated minimum target of £2,680k and equates to approximately five months of unrestricted operating costs.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £90,001 - £100,000 — below the median for charities its size (£130k)

“Two employees received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of between £90,000 and £100,000 during the year, two between £60,000 and £70,000.” — page 23

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 4

“Two employees received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of between £90,000 and £100,000 during the year, two between £60,000 and £70,000.” — page 23

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Fundraising cost ratio: 17.0% of fundraised income, as disclosed

“Costs of raising funds at £1,353k represent 17% of total unrestricted expenditure (2023-24 £1,518k 18%).”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: BBOWT is a member of Wildlife Fundraising (Central) Limited, a related party. BBOWT paid commission to this entity for membership recruitment.

“During the year WFC charged BBOWT commission of £280k on membership income totalling £70k (2024: £401k on £105k). The commission charged reflects the long-term value of these new membership subscriptions to BBOWT. An office rental charge of £5k (2024: £5k) was charged to WFC during the year. At the balance sheet date an amount of £nil (2023: £nil) was owed to BBOWT.” — page 34

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Future Nature WTC Limited

“The charity owns the 2 ordinary £1 shares in Future Nature WTC Ltd its wholly owned subsidiary which had been dormant since 2005.” — page 26

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by HaysMac LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Top pay band moved from £90,001 - £110,000 (FY2024) to £90,001 - £100,000 (FY2025).
Employees paid over £60,000: 5 (FY2024) → 4 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 00680007
Trading subsidiary: FUTURE NATURE WTC LTD Companies House 02648728

FUTURE NATURE WTC LTD — per its own Companies House accounts

The balance sheet discloses 'Called up share capital not paid' of £2,000 (converted from £2 in the accounts which appear to be in £'000 or nominal value context, but strictly stated as £2 in the text provided). Note: The text shows '£ 1 each' for shares, totaling 2 shares. The 'not paid' amount matches the share capital.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Berkshire Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Estelle Bailey — Chief Executive (source)
George Levvy — Chair of the Board of Trustees (source)
Karen Hartshorn — Assistant Chief Executive (source)
Becky Hall — People, Culture & Operations Director (source)
Steve Proud — Land Management Director (source)
Liz Shearer — Community Engagement Director (source)
Matthew Stanton — External Affairs & Landscape Recovery Director (source)

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Prince's Countryside Fund — “The Jordans Farm Partnership is a partnership between Jordans, The Wildlife Trusts, the Prince's Countryside Fund and LEAF (Linking Environm…” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

LUDHRA, Subash Chander — director, appointed 23/07/2024on trustee list
DICKSON, Simon James — director, appointed 23/07/2024on trustee list
PADFIELD, Amy Louise — director, appointed 07/03/2024on trustee list
BURGH, Samuel — director, appointed 07/03/2024on trustee list
AUSTIN, Jolyon Geoffrey Seneschal — director, appointed 27/07/2023on trustee list
CLARK, Garth Anthony — director, appointed 06/12/2022on trustee list
HANCOCK, Zoe Julie Clare — director, appointed 27/07/2022on trustee list
CHACKSFIELD, Mark Andrew — director, appointed 27/07/2022on trustee list
DAVIES, Timothy Kay — director, appointed 27/07/2022on trustee list
BENNELLICK, Andrew — director, appointed 28/07/2021on trustee list
LEVVY, George — director, appointed 28/07/2021on trustee list
EVANS, Miles William — director, appointed 28/07/2021on trustee list
GANPATSINGH, Natalie Diana Lisa — director, appointed 11/12/2019on trustee list

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

118 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (90 freehold); recorded price paid £300k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£10.9m

Total spending

£8.9m

Cost of raising funds

£3.0m

Reserves (reported)

£2.7m

Employees

156

Reported reserves equal ~3.6 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 27.9% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 3.8%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (12/02/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Amy Louise Padfield
Andrew Bennellick
Dr Sasha Marie Woods
Fiona Mary Manning
Garth Antony Clark
George Levvy
Jolyon Geoffrey Seneschal Austin
MARK CHACKSFIELD · trustee of 1 other charity
Miles William Evans
Natalie Ganpatsingh
Samuel Burgh
Simon James Dickson
Subash Chander Ludhra
Timothy Kay Davies
Zoe Julia Clare Hancock

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

Operates in: Bracknell Forest · Buckinghamshire · Milton Keynes · Oxfordshire · Reading · Slough · West Berkshire · Windsor And Maidenhead · Wokingham

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£10.9m	£8.9m
31/03/2024	£8.7m	£8.3m
31/03/2023	£6.9m	£7.7m
31/03/2022	£9.5m	£8.0m
31/03/2021	£7.0m	£6.4m

Common questions

Is BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity ended the year with a surplus of £2,045k, driven by the sale of its office building and increased membership income. Per the trustees' report, free reserves of £3,545k are held, which is above the stated minimum target of £2,680k and equates to approximately five months of unrestricted operating costs. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by HaysMac LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £90,001 - £100,000 band, and 4 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST as a grant recipient include THE MICHAEL MARKS CHARITABLE TRUST, E B M CHARITABLE TRUST, THE ROGER AND JEAN JEFCOATE TRUST, SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST, COLEFAX CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE MICHAEL MARKS CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£12k
E B M CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£5k	Grant paid to institution
THE ROGER AND JEAN JEFCOATE TRUST	FY2022	£5k
SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£3k
COLEFAX CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£1k
SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£1k	Grant paid or payable

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	17/09/2024	£512k	"Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the Ray"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	12/12/2022	£24k	"Explore: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and how can we futureproof our workforce by attracting and retain"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	17/08/2020	£239k	"COVID19: The Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust"
UK government	01/04/2019	£15k	WEIF801-19/20 - CHERWELL - WFD CRF GRANT PAYMENTS TO CHARITIES
UK government	01/04/2019	£17k	Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme 2 (BEVS 2)
UK government	01/04/2019	£8k	WEIF1203-19/20- COTSWOLDS- WINDRUSH- WFD CRF GRANT PAYMENTS FOR CHARITIES
The National Lottery Community Fund	28/02/2019	£68k	Engaging With Nature
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	19/09/2017	£87k	"Duxford Old River"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	12/04/2016	£93k	"Wild Banbury"
Oxford City Council	11/02/2016	£2k	Grant to Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	25/06/2015	£74k	"Earth Explorers Â– Bringing earth and natural heritage to life"
The National Lottery Community Fund	27/05/2015	£10k	Oxford Festival of Nature
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	24/09/2014	£55k	"Yoesden Wood & Bank"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	23/09/2013	£55k	"Wild Oxford"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	30/11/2012	£781k	"Meadow Farm"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	14/03/2012	£455k	"Linking the Landscape in West Berkshire"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	11/08/2011	£50k	"Creating an Environmental Education Centre in Berkshire"
The National Lottery Community Fund	30/11/2010	£7k	Access for All at Letcombe Valley
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	25/05/2010	£561k	"Developing Green Talent"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	05/12/2007	£379k	"College Lake Visitor Facility"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	07/12/2006	£48k	"Acquisition of a Rare Flower Meadow"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	01/11/2006	£50k	"Conserving Nettlebed Commons for People and Wildlife"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	01/12/2004	£234k	"Woodlands Farm Acquisition"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	17/03/2004	£639k	"Getting Involved with Wildlife in Berks, Bucks and Oxon"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	12/08/2003	£902k	"Chimney Farm Acquisition"

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
ROYAL SOCIETY OF WILDLIFE TRUSTS	7	£1.2m
JOHN SWIRE 1989 CHARITABLE TRUST	3	£14k
THE BANISTER CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£678k
CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£6k
THE SANDERSON FOUNDATION	1	£215k
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION	1	£179k
THE NINESQUARE TRUST	1	£162k
THE VEOLIA ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST	1	£138k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT WILDLIFE TRUST.

HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT WILDLIFE TRUST income £9.9m
SHROPSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST income £3.4m
THE SURREY WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED income £7.5m
SOMERSET WILDLIFE TRUST income £5.3m
THE HERTFORDSHIRE AND MIDDLESEX WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED income £3.8m
ESSEX WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED income £10.0m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
BERKSHIRE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE AND OXFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST	£10.9m	£90,001 - £100,000	4	unclear	17.0%	no doubt
HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT WILDLIFE TRUST FY2025	£9.9m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SHROPSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST FY2025	£3.4m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
THE SURREY WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED FY2026	£7.5m	—	—	unclear	14.0%	no doubt
SOMERSET WILDLIFE TRUST FY2025	£5.3m	—	—	within	15.1%	no doubt
THE HERTFORDSHIRE AND MIDDLESEX WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED FY2025	£3.8m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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