A conservation charity in Kew has announced that it has applied to strike off the trust in the new year after three decades of service.

Pensford Field Environmental Trust (PFET) announced on 12 December that it will strike off the trust in January 2026 after it has closed its bank account and drawn its final accounts.

Following the controversial early termination of its lease to Pensford Field by Richmond Council in September 2025, the trust feels it now has to shut after 33 years of operation.

PFET told Nub News: "The Trustees feel that the Council has let down the generations of people who have donated time and money over the past 33 years to transform this field from wasteland to a haven for wildlife.

"We have real fears for its future as there is literally no sign of the Council delivering its commitments to ensure the public can still access the site and that schools and nurseries are still able to book the field and studio."

The trust also revealed that it has made donations to the following charities:

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for its project Planting for the Future: Kew's Landscape Succession Plan – £2,700
• Barnes Common towards a role encouraging lifelong learning – £2,700
• Holly Lodge for a planter outside their classroom in Richmond Park, with a plaque commemorating PFET's donation – £2,700
• Habitats and Heritage for community volunteering days on the Kew Road Ha-ha – £2,000

Pensford Field is a community-managed nature reserve in Kew (credit: Brian Secrett).

PFET's records will be archived with the British Museum, with the charity's website preserved to ensure it is available for future use.

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Members also hope that Richmond Museum will look after its electronic and physical records.

PFET added: "It is truly heartbreaking to look back at all the efforts made before and after the millennium to raise funds for planting, for connecting utilities to the studio and for constructing the pond – not to mention the many hours spent drawing up planting plans and toiling in the field itself."

At present, mental health charity Dose of Nature is in the process of completing the lease to Pensford Field.

A Richmond Council spokesperson said: "The Council was recently made aware of the Pensford Field Environmental Trust's (PFET) decision to strike off their account. The decision remains with PFET, and the Council has no role in this.

"Dose of Nature (DoN) has signed the lease for Pensford Field, and the lease is in the process of being completed. 

"PFET are entitled to their views, but we respectfully disagree. The Council's decision to terminate PFET's lease was lawful, as was the subsequent decision to grant a lease to DoN.

"While this was a difficult decision, it was made for sound reasons and set out in a detailed report considered and approved by the Finance and Policy Resources Committee in June 2025."

READ MORE: Mildmay line track works to continue into New Year, bringing further weekend closures.

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