Ernest Cook Trust

Ernest Cook Trust

Ernest Cook established the Trust in 1952 after acquiring multiple estates to preserve them from development. Cook, grandson of the founder of the Thomas Cook travel company, transferred land holdings and a collection of over 150 artworks to create an educational charity. The founding documents emphasized countryside access for young people. The Trust deploys capital across rural land holdings, a liquid securities portfolio valued at $54 million, and grant distributions. Asset classes include direct real estate ownership, agricultural operations through ECT Farms Limited, and fixed-income and equity holdings managed by Cazenove Capital Management. Confirmed holdings encompass Fairford Park Estate, Slimbridge Estate, Trent Estate, and Low Beckside Farm in Cumbria. Operations remain concentrated in the United Kingdom with estates in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, and Oxfordshire. The organization employs 45 staff and maintains its head office at Court Farm on the Fairford Park Estate. It operates ECT Farms Limited as a 100 percent-owned agricultural subsidiary and Mintglebe Limited as a real-estate holding vehicle. In 2023 Ed Ikin was appointed Chief Executive and Mary Riall became Chairman of the Trustees. The Trust belongs to the Association of Charitable Foundations, the Environmental Funders Network, and the Country Land and Business Association. Governance separates the charitable mandate from commercial land management through a dedicated trustee board and operating subsidiaries. This structure channels estate income exclusively into educational grants and conservation activities without external fund-raising vehicles or co-investment mandates.