The Parks Trust

The Parks Trust established as an independent charity in 1992, expertly cares for over 6,000 acres of beautiful and inspirational green space in Milton Keynes including parks, ancient woodlands, lakes, river valleys and 80 miles of landscaped areas along the city’s grid roads.

In most towns and cities, parkland is owned by the local authority, but Milton Keynes’ founders were pioneers and decided to do things differently. Their vision was to create a new town where the parkland and landscapes would be protected forever by a charity that was separate from local government. Doing so would ensure that, as the new town grew, its green spaces would never be compromised or have to fight for funding.

That all became a reality when The Parks Trust was set up. The new charity was given a 999-year lease on a total of 4,500 acres of Milton Keynes and an endowment of property valued at £22m. Returns on these carefully managed investments generate the primary source of income required to fund the charity’s wide-ranging work today and forever.

Over 90 full and part-time staff and 240 volunteers deliver the essential work of The Parks Trust. In addition to landscaping and maintenance tasks, this also includes providing valuable recreation and leisure facilities, connecting communities at over 500 outdoor events each year and advancing public education around wildlife, biodiversity and the environment.

As Milton Keynes grows, so does The Parks Trust. Each year, the charity takes on new green spaces and endowments from developers to cover costs in perpetuity. This approach ensures that all new areas of the city benefit from the same quality of inspiring, connected landscapes and Milton Keynes remains a great place to live, work, play and learn.