Having donated through various Payroll Giving schemes throughout a 20-year career in London, Mark Lyttleton launched his own charity with the mission of helping cash-rich, time-poor individuals to ensure that their donations had the maximum impact possible. Mark Lyttleton is the founder of Percent For Good, a charity registered in the UK that has revolutionised the giving space through its unique Cause Portfolio concept. This article will look at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a charity that Percent For Good is proud to support as part of its Nature and Environment Cause Portfolio.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was launched with the goal of helping to create more high-quality bumblebee habitats across the United Kingdom, with an impressive 95% of all donations it receives deployed directly to charitable activities. Established in 2006, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a membership charity that addresses serious concerns regarding the future of wild bumblebees in the UK. A science-led organisation, the charity’s long-term and day-to-day activities are informed through evaluation of scientific research and best practice.
Recognising that bumblebees are in crisis, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is leading the fight to secure their future and ensure a world where they thrive and are valued by all. Guided by the latest science, the trust carries out vital research, influencing environmental policy and creating and conserving bumblebee-friendly habitats. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust also helps to increase public awareness of the plight of bumblebees, encouraging people and organisations to take action to protect bumblebees and their habitats and work together to help them thrive.
With a workforce of more than 50 members of staff, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust receives funding from businesses, individuals, lotteries and charitable trusts. Active across England, Scotland and Wales, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s work ranges from promoting conservation of rare bee species to wider initiatives designed to inspire different demographics to help bumblebees in their local area. Guided by experts, the trust is regularly called upon to comment on bumblebee conservation issues and science.
Since the charity’s foundation, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust has created BeeWalk, a national survey launched to monitor bumblebee numbers across the UK. The charity has undertaken numerous national projects, as well as taking practical action to protect and boost the nation’s bumblebee population. Founded with the goal of establishing itself as the UK’s trusted expert on bumblebees and their ecology and conservation, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust works tirelessly to inspire people and organisations, including policymakers, to champion and take action for bumblebees.
Whether members of the public are interested in starting their own bee-friendly garden or simply wish to learn more about these pollination heroes, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website provides a wealth of resources. With 97% of British wildflower-rich meadows lost since the 1940s, the future of the British bumblebee population is in peril. From planting pollinator-friendly native wildflower species to going pesticide-free, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust outlines simple measures that can help protect the future of Britain’s vital pollinators.
A bold, sustainable, inclusive and impactful organisation, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is striving to ensure more better-connected high-quality bumblebee habitats across Britain’s countryside, cities and towns. The charity not only aims to put threatened bumblebee species on the road to recovery but also to ensure that no other bumblebees become threatened.
Angela Style serves as the chair of trustees for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. She highlights the charity’s role in building a community determined to ensure that British bumblebees thrive. With one million bees recorded by BeeWalkers to date, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is committed to protecting the UK’s 24 species of bumblebee and their habitats through its vital scientific research, policy and advocacy work.
