The Ernest Cook Trust

Join Our Team as a Managing Agent - Rural Estates Are you passionate about progressive stewardship of rural estates? We’re looking for a dedicated Managing Agent to join our team, leading with purpose and precision in this rewarding role. In this role you will: 🌱 Champion best practices - maintain exemplary rural estate management standards and support innovative stewardship across our estate areas. 🌱 Optimise and diversify - manage agricultural, residential, and commercial portfolios. 🌱 Drive growth and sustainability - help ensure the Trust’s long-term success by pursuing new opportunities and ideas. 🌱 Performance-driven management - set benchmarks, monitor key performance indicators, and continuously enhance portfolio outcomes. 🌱 Lead with innovation - embrace technology and seek out new ways of working to increase efficiency and adapt to changing regulations. 🌱 Provide expert guidance - offer insights on property regulations, contracts, and provide valuable solutions for day-to-day and strategic estate management. 💚 Why You’ll Love Working Here: Be part of a team that is dedicated to the progressive stewardships of its diverse landholdings, while supporting the Trust’s charitable activities. If you’re ready to shape the future of rural estate management and leave a lasting impact, we want to hear from you. Based near Cirencester with scope for some hybrid working. To find out more visit our website https://vist.ly/3mk8ukc

💩 Whose Poo? 💩 One of our brilliant Outdoor Learning Officers has created a unique and engaging game that’s creating a lot of interest at our Outdoor Learning sessions: Whose Poo? Originally designed for pre-teens and youth groups, it’s become a hit across all ages—from toddlers to grandparents. So why is it so popular? Maybe it’s the cheeky humour, or perhaps it’s because everyone (even animals!) has to poo. 🦊🐾 The game helps players identify British mammals through the signs they leave behind. Using identification charts, participants learn how size, shape, and diet affect droppings—and in doing so, discover surprising connections between themselves and nature. 🌿✨ An unexpected bonus is that is sparks intergenerational conversations about wildlife, creating lasting connections between families, friends and nature. 💬👩👩👧👦 We love seeing people laugh, learn, and connect with nature through this inventive activity! Who knew poo could do so much? 🤔 #OutdoorLearning #NatureConnection #WildlifeEducation

This is such an inspiring initiative! The Blue Badgers are leading the way in making blue spaces more inclusive and accessible for everyone. The Trust is passionate about projects that connect people with nature and champion sustainability. 💙 Their creativity and determination to make Ulley Reservoir a disability-friendly nature park is incredible—especially with features like sensory packs, accessible signage, and wildlife platforms. It's wonderful to see how they are sparking important conversations and setting an example for others to follow.🌿

This #NationalTreeWeek, we’re meeting the team of Foresters who care for the woodland across our estates. Michael, Joe and Lee work hard year-round to care for the woodland on our estates. We deliver Outdoor Learning in our woodlands, as well as running a sustainable forestry operation to support our charitable object. In a special blog, we look at: 🐄 Silvopasture – combining livestock and timber 🦉 Habitat Management 🌳 Replanting after ash dieback 🪵 New uses for timber 🌱 Planning for the future. Read more via the Blog section on our website or via the link in the comments. #ErnestCookTrust #OutdoorLearning #Forestry #NationalTreeWeek

We’re incredibly proud of milly marr, one of our Youth Advisory Board members, for speaking at the Communicate Conference earlier this week! 🎤 She joined an inspiring panel alongside two brilliant representatives from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust – their Social Media Officer and Youth Officer. Together, they tackled the important topic of helping young people cut through the social media noise to engage effectively on climate issues 🌱. Milly shared some fantastic insights on how organisations can empower young voices in the climate conversation and reminded the audience that by signing the #iwill Power of Youth Charter they can connect and engage with other like minded individuals. Thank you, Milly, for representing The Ernest Cook Trust’s Youth Advisory Board and showing how youth leadership can drive meaningful change! 💚 #YouthVoices #ClimateAction #CommunicateConference2024 📸 Milly, the seasoned presenter, seen here at our own Influencers Scheme conference earlier this year.

For a fascinating insight into our unique organisation, we invite you to listen to Michael Birnie, our Property Director, and Sarah White, our Head of Learning Programmes Development, speaking about the balance of funding charitable aims through land and property management. Available via the link in this blog: https://vist.ly/3mn7us6 (of course, we had to do the recording outdoors!)

Have you bought your tickets to #Communicate2024? If you are unable to attend in person why not book an online ticket? The programme is packed with 45 talks and activities by inspiring people including our very own Robyn Riddoch (Youth Leadership Programmes Manager) https://lnkd.in/ekGeC-6r

Have you read the Evaluation Report for the Green Influencers Scheme? Here are just some of the successes that were reported. 68% of Green Influencers reported their intention to continue engaging with Youth Social Action. 96% of projects had ongoing activities that will continue even after the project officially closes. 50% of projects identified that young people now had a stronger environmental awareness and youth voice. To read the report click on the link https://vist.ly/3mmyqab

Today we want to say thank you to all National Lottery players. Exactly 30 years ago National Lottery tickets first went on sale. Since then, the Heritage Fund has invested £8.6bn in more than 47,000 projects across the UK, including our Influencer Schemes and the Connecting People and Nature Project delivered in Lancashire. This includes the funding our Outdoor Learning Trainee who is pictured below, with Our Outdoor Learning Officer and the Forest of Bowland National Landscape Community Engagement Officer. @HeritageFundUK #ThanksToYou

This week, from 18th-22nd November, we’re joining #iwill Week, celebrating some of the many inspiring youth social action projects across the nation! Our Blue Influencers Scheme is joint-funded with the #iwill Fund, supporting young people who make a positive impact on their communities. Throughout this week, we’ll be sharing stories and posts from our fantastic host organisations and their Blue Mentors who help bring this work to life. How are you celebrating #iwill Week? Let us know in the comments below or tag us in your posts! Let’s inspire change together. #StillWeRise Why not look at what our Host Organisations are up to with their links below? Action for Conservation Canal & River Trust Child Dynamix Cumbria Development Education Centre Global Link Development Education Centre Groundwork NE & Cumbria Groundwork Groundwork Yorkshire Kent Wildlife Trust Lancashire Wildlife Trust Mersey Rivers Trust Morecambe Bay Partnership Northumberland Wildlife Trust Ocean Conservation Trust Somerset Wildlife Trust Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) TAKE A PART CIO The Junction Wessex Rivers Trust WWT Wiltshire Wildlife Trust The National Lottery Community Fund Department for Culture, Media and Sport