LEARNING THROUGH NATURE
The Bay Trust is an environmental education charity, working on a “learning through nature” basis.
We were formed through a merger of the St. Margaret’s Bay Trust and Rippledown House Trust in 2009; each of these having been established through the work of The Cleary Foundation in the 1960s and 1970s respectively.
Much of our work is focused on The Pines Gardens site, at St. Margaret’s Bay in Kent, which includes the “cradle-to-cradle” designed events venue, The Pines Calyx. We have a long history of educational work – particularly with schools – in outdoor locations beyond this, too.
On this site you can find out more about learning with us, visiting us, staying with us, and even eating or drinking with us. You can also discover a little about our history and how we are run.
did you know?
Our Hugelkultur beds make use of Biochar, which we produce on site and sequesters carbon at a rate of three tonnes for every tonne of biochar used. Various dishes served at the Calyx and Pines Tea Room use vegetables grown in our hugelkultur beds.
OUR STORY & HISTORY
The Bay Trust exists to help people learn how we can all adapt to changes in the earth’s climate.
We have a particular focus on people who may not have the opportunities, close to hand, to learn how to look after our planet. We seek to inspire, on an “oh, I/we could do that” basis, rather than tell anyone what they must do.
Our mission is to: “Improve lives through learning and connections with nature”.
We were formed through a merger of the St. Margaret’s Bay Trust and Rippledown House Trust in 2009; each of these having been established through our “parent charity”, The Cleary Foundation, during the 1960s and 1970s respectively. We seek to continue the legacy of Fred Cleary CBE, who was instrumental in the creation of each of our forerunners. A Chartered Surveyor, environmentalist and philanthropist, Fred moved from London to St. Margaret’s Bay in the 1940s. To discover more about Fred, please visit his Wikipedia page.
Whilst environmental education work is at our heart, we do a number of further things which help finance this. This includes operation of the Pines Calyx, Pines Gardens Tea Room, a variety of events and some holiday accommodation.
The Pines Garden is being managed using regenerative principles and open to the public on set days each year. The garden is also a focus for individual and corporate volunteering opportunities, and if you would like to know more about this please get in touch.
We are governed by a Board of Trustees, and deliver work through a staff team, contractors and volunteers.
Our work is financed by a mix of donations, earned income through charitable trading, grants and loans.
How we are run
The Bay Trust is, first and foremost, a charity and also operates as a limited company. This means we have to report, on an annual basis, to both the Charity Commission and Companies House.
The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees and these also function as Directors of the company.
Our present Trustees have a working background in subjects such as environmental sustainability, engineering, education, employment law and museum design.
The Trustees are supported by a team of volunteers and professional staff, who oversee day-to-day operation of the charity’s work.
For more information on our Trustees, please click here.
Looking for a hire space?
From conferences to training courses, retreats to artistic performances, personal celebrations and much more – The Pines Calyx venue is suited to a wide range of uses. Want to know more?