What was their challenge?
Trees for Life is a charity working to rewild the Scottish Highlands. The charity wanted to expand their impact and create more revenue to support their conservation work. They developed plans to build a rewilding centre on their Dundreggan estate combining a visitors centre with accommodation. They raised capital from their own reserves and capital grants and needed a further £2m to make the rewilding centre a reality.
What was the support you provided / offered
The Triodos corporate finance team worked with Trees for Life to structure an investment that works for the charity and would attract social investors. The bond offer was launched on Triodos Bank’s crowdfunding platform in September 2021 and was filled in a matter of days. With a minimum investment of just £50, over 400 people invested. The average investment size was £4,800.
What was the impact or outcome of support?
The proceeds from the charity bond gave Trees for Life the final bit of finance it required to build the centre. The Dundreggan Rewilding Centre in Glenmoriston opened in April 2023 and showcases how large-scale nature recovery can give people inspiring experiences while creating jobs and benefiting rural communities.
Our conversations with Triodos felt different to those we had with other potential financers. We didn’t need to explain what we were about, because the importance of the project was immediately recognised and understood. As our financial plans developed Triodos were really supportive, helping us to shape the
business model needed to make the project vision a reality, grounding our idea in pragmatism and making sure our goals were attainable.
business model needed to make the project vision a reality, grounding our idea in pragmatism and making sure our goals were attainable.