Who we are

William Robinson Gravetye Charity oversees a beautiful 637 acre Estate in the heart of Sussex – a fantastic natural space made up of woodland, lakes and meadows. We’re passionate about connecting local people with nature; we love conserving nature too. 

What we do

There are three simple strands to our charity’s work

• Offering 8,000 visitors a year the chance to immerse themselves in nature
• Carrying out conservation projects across our woodland, pasture and freshwater habitats 
• Leading a growing volunteering programme for more than 500 people a year – enabling people of all abilities to get involved in conservation, and other positive action which combats climate change 

How we take climate action 

 1. Safeguarding biodiversity. The UN says biodiversity is “our strongest natural defence against climate change”. We do ecological surveys to monitor biodiversity. This is how we know there are 71 species of birds sighted on our Estate. University of Sussex recently helped us install automated biodiversity monitoring stations which will record data for at least 10 years. This means we can understand and safeguard our existing habitats, look after our newts and barn owls and all our other natural residents  

2. Enhancing biodiversity. As well as looking after existing habitats we create new ones. Recently these have included new freshwater, hedgerows and wildflower meadows.  

3. Planting trees to absorb carbon emissions. Our volunteers help us plant over 1,500 trees a year.   

4. Replacing species affected by climate change with more resilient alternatives. We’re named after the Victorian ecologist William Robinson. He was promoting sustainability and biodiversity back in the 19th century, bringing resilient trees and plants from around the world to Gravetye. One of the ways we’ve followed his lead recently has been by felling ash trees affected by dieback and replacing them with climate change resilient species like hawthorn, hazel and sessile oak

5. Working with environmental specialists. Finally we work with expert partners to make sure we’re doing all this conservation work correctly and making a positive difference. We’re only a small team with just Kari and Fi doing frontline work, so our collaborators - organisations like RSPB, Weald to Waves Newt Conservation Partnership, Sussex Wildlife Trust and University of Sussex – are vital to WRGC staff and volunteers.  

Why are we crowdfunding?

The Gravetye volunteer team are an essential part of our conservation and climate action work. Our volunteers include young people, older people and people with disabilities, getting involved in all of the activities above – tree planting, digging new ponds, clearing invasive species, citizen science surveys and much more. 

“I am new to the area and have really enjoyed getting to know people at the Charity’s weekend sessions. Gravetye’s woods are a lovely place to unwind and to enjoy nature. Seeing a kingfisher was the icing on the cake when we were planting bulbs near Lower Lake”.   Feedback from John, who recently started volunteering with us

 Over the year ahead we expect to run 30 volunteering sessions for 360 children and young people from local primary, secondary and SEN school, and uniform groups. We’ll also lay on at least 30 midweek and weekend sessions for around 160 adults, the majority of whom are over 55. In total, over 500 unique individuals are likely to volunteer with us. 

 We need additional funding to help cover

• Expert support from ecologists and other specialists
• The costs of our Volunteering Co-ordinator and Development Manager who run our volunteer programme  
• Food and refreshments for volunteers
• Groundwork materials like protective guarding for newly planted trees
• Volunteers tools like gloves and other personal protective equipment
• The direct heating, lighting and water costs to ensure our volunteer hub is operational  

 How to get involved

 There are three simple ways to get involved and support our project: 

• Make a donation. Every pledge gets us closer to our goal. Early support can help build momentum and inspire others to give too.
• Spread the word. Share our project with friends, family and your wider network. The more people we reach, the more likely we are to succeed.
• Volunteer with us. If you’d like to get involved at Gravetye, we’d love to hear from you! Please get in touch through the ‘Contact project’ tab and select "I want to volunteer my time or expertise" from the Subject drop down menu