Savannah Charitable Trust
Charity Number: 1107483
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Quick Stats
- Annual Giving: £264,535 (year ending March 2024)
- Total Income: £718,718 (primarily from investments)
- Decision Time: Not publicly available
- Grant Range: Not publicly specified
- Geographic Focus: Tenterden, Kent and surrounding area; Kenya and Zambia
Contact Details
Address: 38a High Street, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6AR
Phone: 07557 411268
Alternative Contact: Sue Brown c/o London Beach Hotel, Ashford Road, St Michaels, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HX
Charity Number: 1107483
Note: No website or email address is publicly available for this trust.
Overview
The Savannah Charitable Trust was registered as a charity on 6 January 2005 and operates as a grant-making trust under a trust deed. Based in Tenterden, Kent, the trust is chaired by Philippe-Henri Edmonds, a former England cricketer and businessman. With significant investment income supporting its operations, the trust distributed £264,535 in charitable grants in the year ending March 2024. The trust supports a dual geographic focus: local charities and organizations serving the Tenterden community in Kent, and international charitable purposes in Africa, particularly supporting a community school in Zambia. The trust maintains a strategic approach to funding, focusing on organizations that provide facilities for recreation and leisure activities that promote social welfare, alongside general charitable purposes in education, health, and amateur sport.
Funding Priorities
Grant Programs
The trust operates through trustee discretion rather than formal grant programs. Historical grant-making shows:
- Local Kent Grants: Supporting local charities and organizations in Tenterden and surrounding areas providing recreational facilities and social welfare services
- Africa Education Support: Sustained support for operating expenses of a community school in Zambia (£16,000 noted in previous years)
Annual grant distribution has varied significantly, with donations totaling £41,679 in one recent year (2021) and charitable expenditure of £264,535 in 2024, indicating the trust's flexible approach to grant-making based on investment performance and identified needs.
Priority Areas
The trust's charitable objectives focus on:
- Local Community Support: Provision of support and assistance to charities operating in Tenterden, Kent and the surrounding area for the benefit of local residents and the public at large
- Social Welfare and Recreation: Provision or assistance in the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare
- UK and Africa Charitable Purposes: Other charitable purposes beneficial to the public through the UK and Africa
Specific areas of focus:
- General charitable purposes
- Education and training
- Advancement of health or saving of lives
- Amateur sport
Beneficiaries: Children and young people, elderly people, and the general public
What They Don't Fund
No specific exclusions are documented in publicly available records.

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Governance and Leadership
Trustees
Philippe Henri Edmonds - Chair and Trustee
Philippe-Henri Edmonds is a former England cricketer who represented England in 51 Test matches between 1975 and 1987 as a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler. Since retiring from cricket, Edmonds has enjoyed a successful career in business, serving as chairman of various companies including Middlesex County Cricket Club and mining interests in Africa. His business experience and African connections inform the trust's international charitable work.
Chris O'Connor - Trustee (Appointed 22 September 2017)
Governance Notes
- One or more trustees receive payments or benefits from the charity for providing services
- The trust owns or leases land or property
- The trust maintains a financial reserves policy and internal financial controls
Application Process and Timeline
How to Apply
This trust does not have a public application process. The trustees identify and support charities at their discretion, primarily focusing on organizations they are already familiar with in the Tenterden area and their established charitable partnerships in Africa.
The trust supports “a wide range of local charities and organizations” within the Tenterden area, suggesting that the trustees proactively identify beneficiaries rather than responding to unsolicited applications.
Decision Timeline
Not applicable for public applications. Grant-making decisions are made at the discretion of the trustees throughout the year.
Success Rates
Not applicable - no public application process.
Reapplication Policy
Not applicable - no public application process.
Application Success Factors
Given the trust operates without a public application process, the key factors for receiving support appear to be:
- Geographic relevance: Being a charity operating in Tenterden, Kent or the surrounding area, or working in Kenya or Zambia
- Mission alignment: Providing facilities for recreation or leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare, or working in education, health, or amateur sport
- Existing relationships: The trust supports organizations known to the trustees
- Sustained partnerships: Evidence of multi-year support for the Zambian community school suggests the trust values long-term charitable relationships
Key Takeaways for Grant Writers
- No public application process: This trust identifies beneficiaries through trustee discretion rather than open applications
- Strong local focus: Priority given to charities serving Tenterden, Kent and the immediate surrounding area
- Dual geographic strategy: Split focus between hyperlocal UK support and international development in Africa
- Social welfare emphasis: Particularly interested in organizations providing recreational and leisure facilities that advance social welfare
- Long-term partnerships: Evidence of sustained multi-year support suggests preference for ongoing relationships over one-off grants
- Variable grant-making: Annual giving fluctuates significantly based on investment performance and identified charitable needs
- Limited public information: The trust maintains a low public profile with no website and minimal published guidance
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References
- https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4010090
- Accessed: December 2025
- https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4010090/full-print
- Accessed: December 2025
- https://www.mytenterden.co.uk/directory/savannah-charitable-trust-listing-2063.aspx
- Accessed: December 2025
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Edmonds
- Accessed: December 2025