Photo: Elliott Neep
About us
Essex Wildlife Trust protects wildlife through landscape conservation, education on our nature reserves and discovery centres and campaigns that help to give wildlife a greater voice in our county.
We are a local wildlife charity supported by over 1900 volunteers and over 38,000 members. Together we protect and care for wildlife and wild places across Essex.
History
Essex Wildlife Trust was established in 1959 and has grown from strength to strength, always striving to protect wildlife for the future and for the people of Essex.
How we are run
Essex Wildlife Trust has a Board of Trustees that consists of 13 members, all of whom are unpaid volunteers. The Board meets around six times a year and is responsible for the overall governance and direction of the Trust, whereas operational management of the Trust is the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Managers of the Trust. Three main committees report to the Board: Finance and Audit Committee, HR Committee and Health & Safety Committee.
As well as Essex Wildlife Trust Limited, there are a number of company subsidiaries which are; Essex Wildlife Sales Ltd (retail operations and visitor centre sales), Essex Ecology Services Ltd (consultancy arm), and two locational subsidiaries of Thameside Nature Park Ltd and Chafford Gorges Ltd. TNP, Chafford Gorges and EWT are all charitable bodies, registered with the Charities Commission.
Patron
Mike Dilger
Mike Dilger is an English ecologist, ornithologist and television presenter who is best known for being the wildlife reporter on the BBC television programme The One Show. He attended the University of Nottingham and UCNW Bangor in north Wales.
President
Professor Jules Pretty OBE
Jules Pretty is the Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Essex. He is the author of many books, including The Edge of Extinction and This Luminous Coast, both from Comstock Publishing Associates, and The Earth Only Endures. He is coeditor most recently of Green Exercise.
Staff
Essex Wildlife Trust has around 150 salaried staff, split between our main offices at Abbotts Hall Farm in Colchester, a number of smaller regional offices, nature reserves and our 11 visitor centres across Essex.
Photo: Tom Marshall
Trustees
Our Trustees are a group of volunteers who hold the financial and legal responsibility for everything the Trust does.
Photo - John Hawkins
How we are funded
Essex Wildlife Trust relies on the generosity and enthusiasm of our members and supporters to fund the vast majority of our work. Thanks to you we can continue to protect wildlife and inspire the next generation to care for wildlife too.
Photo: Amy Lewis
Job opportunities
Would you like to work for Essex Wildlife Trust? Take a look at our current vacancies.
Wild news
We'd love to keep in touch with you about our work to protect wildlife, upcoming events, and ways to support the work we do.
Yellowhammer - Wildnet / Chris Gomersall