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York Conservation Trust (YCT) is a charity dedicated to the preservation, restoration and active use of historic buildings and spaces across York. They are custodians of over 70 historic buildings across York, safeguarding them for public benefit through residential, commercial, meeting rooms and visitor use. Founded in 1945 it began as a property company before becoming the registered charity of York Conservation Trust. YCT operates as a non-revolving trust, retaining its heritage properties and generating rental income to fund their ongoing maintenance, conservation and enhancement. Its custodial approach provides both residential and commercial tenancies - including meeting rooms and guest accommodation and serves as a critical model for sustainable heritage stewardship.
This project aimed to support York Conservation Trust by strengthening funding strategies for Sir Thomas Herbert’s House and St Antony’s Garden and by enhancing the effectiveness of its website. The focus was on securing funding for the overhaul of Sir Thomas Herbert’s House and essential repairs to St Antony’s Garden, while reviewing and rationalising website content to improve clarity, relevance and engagement. The overall goal was to deliver actionable strategies that enable York Conservation Trust to secure funding effectively and communicate its work more efficiently to the public.
The project resulted in YCC consultants finding a diverse range of funding options for both Sir Thomas Herbert’s House and St Antony’s Garden. These ranged from grants, for large structural and renovation work, to income via donations, by increasing footfall in St Antony's garden and finding ways in which Sir Thomas Herbert’s house could be used pre-renovation. YCC also reached out to the University of York gardening society, to initiate a partnership between them and the York Conservation Trust to provide help in the daily upkeep of St Antony’s Garden. Research was also done into other local gardening groups that could provide further help in the essential repairs needed around the garden. Finally, time was taken to review and analyse the current state of the website of the York Conservation Trust. Our consultants were able to spot and report easily fixable issues with the website allowing it to be both more accessible and user friendly.
"YCC worked with us on three areas: analysis of fundraising potential for a major capital project we have planned at Herbert House, where we can increase visitor footfall to St Anthony's Garden and attract gardening volunteers, and ways to refine and improve elements of our website. Each member of the team showed a clear understanding of the task at hand and undertook a detailed analysis of our current position with regard to fundraising, our garden's presence and our website's functionality and accessibility. The project timelines were set out at the start and communication was clear throughout, with each person involved providing a valuable contribution. At the end of the project they produced their analysis along with key recommendations for improvements in each area. Furthermore, where possible, the team made introductions to third parties who may be in a position to donate to or work with us in future. This was going above and beyond, and we are extremely grateful for their contribution."
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