UK rainforest charity secures £100k in inaugural global Defender Awards
Howard Lake | 25 January 2026 | News
The Thousand Year Trust (TYT), the UK’s only charity dedicated to restoring Atlantic temperate rainforests, has been crowned a global winner of the inaugural Defender Awards, securing a substantial funding package that will significantly accelerate its conservation efforts.
As one of six international winners, TYT received a £100,000 grant and a new Defender 4×4 vehicle. This award comes from the Defender Awards’ £1 million commitment to conservation and humanitarian causes worldwide.
The funding is specifically earmarked for the Trust’s flagship ‘Cornwall Rainforest Project,’ an undertaking to restore 10,000 acres of Bodmin Moor. This project involves planting an ambitious 1.28 million native trees and aims to capture 220,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, making a contribution to climate change mitigation while restoring a rare and rich ecosystem.
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One fifth of the UK used to be covered in these rainforests: now the figure is just 1%.
The Defender vehicle serves as a mobile base and transport to remote sites, directly supporting the logistics of this large-scale restoration.
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, founder of the Thousand Year Trust, emphasized the long-term vision:
“The Defender Awards give us the chance to take this message further than ever before—working hand-in-hand with farmers across the country to restore rare ecosystems while supporting sustainable rural livelihoods… It’s about looking beyond quick fixes and committing to the long view—creating living, breathing rainforests that future generations can cherish.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.