THE COUNTRYSIDE EDUCATION TRUST
Registered charity 269546 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register
The Countryside Education Trust helps children and adults understand, protect and conserve the countryside. Home Farm is its residential centre, with an educational farm, garden, and orchard. The new Fort Climate Centre focuses on climate education. Nearby Treehouse classrooms in ancient woodland inspire broader environmental activities. Ensuring fair access for all is central to its mission.
Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Animals · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £121,630 for the year, resulting in a deficit in free reserves of £1,809. The trustees note that holding three months of operating costs in reserves is currently challenging but aim to achieve this target in 2025. Despite the deficit, the trustees maintain a going concern basis, expressing reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to operate in the future.
Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £-2k; policy: three months of operating costs)
“Free reserves therefore amounted to a deficit of £1,809 (2023: deficit of £101,156). Trustees aspire to hold three months of operating costs in reserves but this is challenging at the current time”
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Rent and services from Lord Montagu
“During the year the trust leased all leasehold properties from the private estate of Lord Montagu. The rentals payable on these properties for the year were £13,157 (2023: £13,157). The charity also paid £872 (2023: £3,873) for other services provided by the private estate of the Lord Montagu.” — page 33
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.
Property (HM Land Registry)
1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2023)
Cost of raising funds
£23k
Reported reserves equal ~11.5 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 7.0 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (60% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 4.3% of total income — above the median for charities its size (2.9%) (benchmarks).
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout England
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE COUNTRYSIDE EDUCATION TRUST financially healthy?
Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £121,630 for the year, resulting in a deficit in free reserves of £1,809. The trustees note that holding three months of operating costs in reserves is currently challenging but aim to achieve this target in 2025. Despite the deficit, the trustees maintain a going concern basis, expressing reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to operate in the future. Its FY2024 accounts were independently examined.
Who funds THE COUNTRYSIDE EDUCATION TRUST?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE COUNTRYSIDE EDUCATION TRUST as a grant recipient include ENERGISE ME, THE RETA LILA HOWARD FOUNDATION, CLA CHARITABLE TRUST, THE FINNIS SCOTT FOUNDATION, THE RICHARD KIRKMAN TRUST.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE COUNTRY TRUST.
Side by side with its peers
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