If you have a question, you are not alone.

Our head office is in Bath, Somerset, where we were founded in 1962. Our programmes now operate across Somerset, Wiltshire, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Gloucestershire, Dorset, parts of Hampshire and South Wales — twenty-three local authority areas in total.

Yes. We are registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under number 219050 and with Companies House under number 00781432. We are also signatories to the Fundraising Regulator and the Association of Charitable Foundations.

A staff team of 47, led by our Chief Executive Marcus Whitford, reports to a Board of 13 trustees chaired by Dr Naila Choudhury. Eight in ten of our trustees live in the communities we serve.

92p of every £1 you give is spent directly on frontline programmes. The remaining 8p covers governance, audit, evaluation and a small fundraising team. Independently audited by Bishop Fleming each year.

Yes, if you are a UK taxpayer and pay enough tax to cover the Gift Aid we will claim on your gift. Adding Gift Aid increases your donation by 25% at no extra cost to you. You can opt in at the donation page or by writing to us.

Call us on +44 (0)1225 477 219 or email [email protected]. We will action the change within two working days and confirm in writing. No questions asked, no follow-up appeals.

Yes — legacies are a significant source of our long-term funding. Our free legacy guide explains the simple wording, and we can introduce you to a will-writing solicitor at no charge. See our donate page.

For roles involving children or vulnerable adults, yes. We pay for and process your DBS check ourselves. It typically takes 2–4 weeks. For environmental, events and pro-bono roles, no DBS is required.

For most volunteer roles, you must be 18+. We have specific roles open to ages 16–17 with parental consent, particularly within Story Boats and River Keepers. We do not place under-16s in volunteer roles for safeguarding reasons.

Yes — our Pro Bono Adviser role is fully remote. We currently most need lawyers (charity law, employment), accountants, designers and HR advisers. Quarterly time commitment.

Download our application pack from the Resources page. Applications open in March, July and November. You can apply in writing, by phone, or in person at our office.

Almost anything that brings people together in your community. We have funded gardening groups, choir start-ups, repair cafés, accessibility ramps, dyslexia tutoring, community fridges and more. We rarely fund large capital projects, salaries longer than 12 months, or activity outside our geography.

A panel of 6–8 local residents reviews each round of applications for their area. No Trust staff sit on the panel — we administer the process, but the decision is theirs.

Carefully and minimally. We never sell or share supporter data with third parties. Full details in our Privacy Policy.

Write to our Chief Executive at the registered office, or email [email protected]. We acknowledge within three working days and respond fully within fifteen. If you remain unsatisfied, the Fundraising Regulator and the Charity Commission are the relevant external bodies.