Plans for developing Earth Trust Centre

Gateway to accessible, natural green spaces 

We host more than 200,000 visits a year across our green spaces, and are working creatively to find new ways to welcome and excite people about our amazing environment, whilst protecting our heritage.  

In 2020, we embarked on an ambitious project to develop the Earth Trust Centre,  bringing together longstanding ambitions to improve our facilities for visitors, extend our educational opportunities, and inspire debate and action about how we enjoy and protect our green spaces into the future. 

Our development plans will provide a greater welcome for visitors, transforming their experience of the Earth Trust Centre through upgrading of our existing facilities and the building of new ones.   

To date, this has included the development of one of our barns into an ‘Innovation Hub’ to provide a welcome and orientation area and multi-use space for Earth Trust and its partners, and the creation of Earth Lab – our education and skills centre. 

Longer term plans include a farm shop, a café, and ‘Earth Adventure’ – a playful outdoor area where everyone can discover more about the value of wildlife rich green spaces and the heritage of our landscape. 

Inspiring change

We will enhance our environmental education opportunities and improve our visitors’ experience. We hope to increase skills, develop understanding and help bring about long term sustainable change. 

A place of discovery

We will develop fun, playful and interactive spaces and activities, focusing on our three work themes – food, water and trees – to discover the rich history of the surrounding landscape. 

Demonstrating Sustainability

We will lead by example in our use of water, wood and food production. The design and construction of our new buildings are creating debate and inspiring action. 

Artists impression

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Phase 1 completed

Despite the challenges of multiple lockdowns, our work on Phase 1 progressed during 2020 and in the summer of 2021 we were able to finalise the creation of the first new spaces, Earth Lab and Innovation Hub. 

Earth Lab is an award winning, living demonstration of sustainability, incorporating natural and carbon-sequestering building materials, a wildflower roof and water management system. Our environmental education offering has been greatly enhanced. We now have the space and facilities to be able to welcome school groups, families and learners in an inspiring setting. 

The barn refurbishment has been completed and the Innovation Hub is now ready to become a multi-use space for Earth Trust and our partners, and in time a visitor welcome and orientation area. 

We received £1.49m of funding from the government’s Local Growth Fund, secured by Oxfordshire LEP, and this, together with grants from a number of Trusts and Foundations, members and private donors, enabled us to complete Phase 1 of our vision. We are extremely grateful to them all. 

  • The story of Earth Lab

    Earth Lab, at the Earth Trust Centre, provides a stimulating, interactive education space with a seamless flow from indoor to outdoor learning areas.

  • Innovation Hub

  • Gateway Programme Partners

    • Continuing the journey

    We have many more plans for the Gateway programme, which are currently taking shape. The pandemic has been a difficult time for all charities, but, as we begin to recover financially our plans for Phase 2 in the Gateway Programme can start again.

    We hope to continue our journey to provide even better access to green spaces at Earth Trust Centre in 2022.  Watch this space!

  • Building with nature in mind

    As climate change rises up public and corporate agendas, rarely are there opportunities to design and construct a building that has potential to demonstrate and encourage future sustainable construction and inspire future generations.

  • Dig reveals 2,000 year history of Earth Trust Centre

    DigVentures worked with Earth Trust to discover more about the people who lived here centuries ago. We're excited to share the finds

  • Building Nature In: An urgent call to action

    On 18th May, Earth Trust is bringing together the expertise of a diverse panel of industry leaders to explore what ‘Building Nature In’ to the places where people live, work and play could look like and discuss how key challenges can be overcome.