Westcountry Rivers Trust
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your work concerns river or freshwater health in the Westcountry, the Trust's stated priority area is The Westcountry and its grant-making centres on raw water quality and farm capital works.
- Most of its major grant activity has gone to farmers' capital works through Upstream Thinking, so a charity that does not work with farmers is unlikely to fit that work.
- Its annual report shows £363,590 awarded in its latest reported year, but no grant range or typical grant size is stated, so ask the Trust's advisers what scale of support suits a project before you set a figure.
- Only landowners may express interest in the UST4 scheme, by emailing farmadvice@wrt.org.uk, and the NatureBid auction for the River Lyd catchment opens in December, pauses, and reopens in January, so an early enquiry is sensible.
- Farm advisers identify potential recipients, and grants usually cover only part of a project's cost with matching investment from the farmer, so expect a relationship-led process.
Overview
Westcountry Rivers Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1135007).
Westcountry Rivers Trust is a charity that exists to conserve, protect, rehabilitate and improve rivers, streams, watercourses and water impoundments, and to advance public education about rivers and aquatic environments. In recent years its major grant-making has run under the Upstream Thinking project, which is funded by South West Water. Its annual report records £363,590 awarded in its latest reported year, and grants are usually given for a proportion of a project's total cost, with the farmer providing matching investment.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Trust’s grant-making is project-led and supports the outcomes of the projects it is involved in. Its major grant activity has been through Upstream Thinking, where most grants support farmers’ capital works intended to improve raw water quality. Farm advisers identify potential recipients using their knowledge and the Trust’s evidence; an internal farm-adviser team discusses and approves proposed beneficiaries in light of expected water-quality benefits. Grants usually cover only part of a project’s cost, with matching investment by farmers demonstrating commitment to better water quality. More broadly, the Trust works to restore and protect freshwater environments, with farmers and fishing communities, river habitats, evidence and community resilience at the heart of its work.
Themes
- Raw water quality
- Farm capital works
Geographic Focus
Priority: The Westcountry.
How to apply
Landowners can express interest in the UST4 scheme by emailing farmadvice@wrt.org.uk; a catchment adviser will then be in touch.
Application windows:
- NatureBid – River Lyd catchment: The auction opens in December, pauses for review, then reopens in January before final decisions and closure.
Who can apply:
- Upstream Thinking 4: Landowners may express an interest in the scheme.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- The internal farm-adviser team considers the water-quality benefits expected from the proposed works when approving grant beneficiaries.
- A farmer’s matching investment demonstrates commitment to improved water quality.
Where they fund
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Westcountry Rivers Trust.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £3,161,785 | £2,759,788 | £23,988 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £3,656,078 | £3,588,052 | £30,679 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £3,413,397 | £3,378,087 | £19,972 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £4,004,141 | £4,081,787 | £436,680 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £4,582,556 | £4,297,470 | £363,590 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2023; year to 31 December 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- wrt.org.uk
- wrt.org.uk/our-work · read on 30 October 2026
- wrt.org.uk/project/upstream-thinking-4 · read on 30 October 2026
- wrt.org.uk/project/naturebid · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Westcountry Rivers Trust?
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Applying to Westcountry Rivers Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required