About

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is a wildlife conservation charity. 

Cumbria Wildlife Trust cares passionately about wildlife and wild places – we’re here to put wildlife back into our land and seascapes to make Cumbria a wilder county with more space for nature.

We restore and connect wild places, work with nature to tackle the climate emergency and support people to take local action for wildlife.

With a dedicated team of skilled and professional staff working closely with volunteers, partners and thousands of supporters, together we’re creating a wilder future for Cumbria.

Formed in 1962 and supported by thousands of members and supporters, the Trust cares for 41 nature reserves, campaigns for the protection of endangered habitats and species such as limestone pavements and red squirrels, and works with adults and children to discover the importance of the natural world.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is part of a UK-wide grassroots movement made up of 46 individual Wildlife Trusts who all believe that we need nature and nature needs us. With more than 800,000 members and 2,300 nature reserves, The Wildlife Trusts is the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species. 

Registered in England as Cumbria Wildlife Trust Limited, a Company Limited by Guarantee No.00724133 Registered Charity No.218711

Who we are 

Standing up for wildlife
To support and encourage action to create an environment in Cumbria richer in wildlife, prevent further losses of species, wildlife habitats and geological features and encourage their sustainable management.
Creating and enhancing wildlife havens
To acquire and manage a network of high quality nature reserves which are accessible and which contribute to the conservation of Cumbria's most important habitats.
Inspiring people about the natural world
To create activities and experiences aimed at helping people of all ages to understand and appreciate the natural worlds and encourage people to take action to conserve and improve it.
Recognition and respect for our role and work
To ensure recognition as the organisation which conserves wildlife in Cumbria.
To ensure an increase in the awareness of conservation issues.
Membership
To create a large active, involved and well-informed membership of the Trust.
Growing our resources for action and advocacy.
To raise sufficient funds to implement the Trust's aims, objectives and targets.
Organisation and structure
To be efficient and well organised.
Finance
To be cost effective and financially stable while using the Trust's funds for the proper purposes and in accordance with the Charity Commissioner's rules.

What we do

Cumbria Wildlife Trust has a Board of Trustees of up to 14 members, including two ‘trusteeships’ specifically for young people aged between 18 to 25 years. All trustees are unpaid volunteers. The Board meets approximately 6 times per year. It sets our strategic direction and has overall legal and financial responsibility for the Trust. 

Two sub-committees report to the Board: The Audit and Resources Committee and the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee. We welcome expressions of interest from members who would like to join one of our committees.

Responsibility for all operational management of the Trust is delegated by the Board to the Chief Executive and staff team.  

Our governance

The beginning
It all began in 1912 when Charles Rothschild, who pioneered the whole concept of nature reserves in this country, set up the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves - which evolved into today's Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts which is a registered charity in its own right and the parent organisation of 46 Wildlife Trusts. Each Wildlife Trust is a place-based independent charity. Taken together, this federation of 46 local Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts are known as The Wildlife Trusts.

Charles Rothschild identified Meathop Moss, 120 acres of raised bog near Grange over Sands, as 'one of the most interesting places in England' and it became the newly-formed society's fourth nature reserve.

Read more on our history