The Duke of Westminster on a visit The Duke of Westminster on a visit

Our President & VPs

We are proud to have The Duke of Westminster as our President.

The Duke works closely with the organisation to support its vision to bring an understanding of food and the countryside to every child experiencing disadvantage through quality learning experiences.

The Duke has a strong interest in agriculture and the environment since his own childhood and studied Countryside Management at Newcastle University. 

He also has a keen understanding of how bringing children from a wide variety of backgrounds into the countryside can create exceptional experiences and lifelong learning opportunities for those individuals.

 

 

Our Impact report Our Annual report
The Duke of Westminster.

The Duke’s family has been welcoming children on Country Trust visits to Eaton, in Cheshire, which have included visits to Grosvenor Farms (a major dairy farm), and Abbeystead in Lancashire, for more than 25 years.

The charity has also benefitted greatly from long standing support from the Westminster Foundation, which represents the philanthropic activities of the Grosvenor family.

Country Trust Vice Presidents

Our Vice Presidents are a vital part of our team. They are all volunteers who work in partnership with our staff to promote the Country Trust’s work and aims. Many have experience as Country Trust hosts and can talk first-hand of the positive impact of our work.

We are very sorry to have to share the news that our very longstanding and very generous VP David Laing sadly passed away in early March 2024. David was a wonderfully positive and committed friend to The Country Trust over decades and we will miss him greatly.

Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher Bt
Sir Nicholas Bacon Bt
Vanessa Beaumont
Lord Boswell of Aynho DL
W Butterfield
Earl of Carnarvon
J M Carr-Ellison
J Coles B Ed NPQH
Lord Dear QPM
W J Henderson DL
M Kendall 
W Kendall
D Laing MA RIBA (deceased March 2024)
Gina Long MBE
Hon John Leigh-Pemberton
Hon G E Lopes 
L V Lyle MA PGCE
M Maclay DL
Hallam Mills DL
H R Oliver-Bellasis FRAgS
Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE
E P Serjeant (stepped down December 2023))
J Serjeant BA (Hons) ACA
I N Tegner CA FRSA
F Weston MA (Cantab)

Past President

The late Duke of Westminster was our President for 25 years. We are very proud to have had his passionate and generous support for so many years.