Land is in
our nature
Looking after land to enrich lives, for all.
The Ernest Cook Trust is an educational charity grounded in the land. We cultivate deep-rooted connections with the land, through outdoor learning and experiences in nature. We believe that land can deliver multiple benefits united by a unique ability to enrich both lives and livelihoods.
Through our learning programmes, collaborative partnerships, and progressive land management, we are working to change the way people across the UK understand and experience land and nature.
Land is for all of us. Land is for you.
Whether learning in a woodland or farming the fields, land is for you. At the Ernest Cook Trust we focus on land learning and land management. That’s alongside our broader efforts to sow deeper bonds between land and society.
Learning outdoors
Land is our classroom. Take a look at how we bring land and learning together, and how you can join in.
Land management
Managed land is where life can take root, and flourish. We support farmers and land specialists in balancing productivity and protection, helping harness the multiple diverse values of land.
Land is in our nature
How we connect with land and nature today, impacts the way our lives are experienced tomorrow. So whether land is your current livelihood, becomes your classroom or career, or could unlock a new experience, the Ernest Cook Trust helps people cultivate a deeper relationship between lives and land.
For us, this isn’t just a belief – it’s in our nature.
9000 hectares
across 9 estates in 6 counties
25 farm tenants and businesses
and hundreds of residential tenants
Over 160000 young people
engaged in outdoor learning in 2024-25
Realising more with the outdoors
Grant making is at the core of our work – it allows us to support young people, communities and partners with outdoor learning, in the ways they need most. Each year, the Trust donates over £2million of grants and this funding is only possible through our estates, land management and investments.
We have different grant streams that focus on where we can make the most impact and we are always looking to cultivate strategic funding models, such as match-funding and funding-plus.
Work with us
Working outdoors can be challenging – it’s often muddy, hard work, and no two days are the same. But this is what also makes it so rewarding. And whether you’re looking for a career outdoors or your role supports our land management and learning, there will always be opportunities to get outside on our land and beyond our boundaries.
So come, join us outdoors – explore our job vacancies, partnership opportunities and other ways to learn on the land.
Annual report
Every year, we pull together a summary of our work that branches out into every corner of the Ernest Cook Trust’s land – and beyond. Download the report and read with a cup of tea.