Courteenhall Corporate Social Responsibility 2025/26

A year of National recognition

In May 2026, Courteenhall was awarded the King's Award for Sustainable Development granted by His Majesty the King on the advice of the Prime Minister, and among the most exclusive honours available to a UK business. It recognised our regenerative farming model at Gawdy Hall and Courteenhall, our renewable energy programme, our community outreach through New Leaf Learning and the West Northamptonshire Good Food Plan, and our net zero target of 2030.

"This isn't just any award to us., it carries huge credibility and exclusivity. We didn't remotely take for granted that we'd get it, and it means the world to me that we did," said Dr Johnny Wake, Managing Partner, on receiving the award.

The same year brought the 2026 John Nix Award, presented to Johnny at Plaisterers' Hall in London by The Worshipful Company of Farmers — the £1,000 prize was donated in full to New Leaf Learning. Alongside it: WFEE Level 2 accreditation (one of only five farms in the UK, and the first in Northamptonshire), retained Good Business Charter status as the first UK farm to hold it, the Prompt Payment Code Gold Award, and Pasture for Life certification for our Traditional Hereford cattle.

New Leaf Learning and changing children's lives

New Leaf Learning, the nature-based charity Johnny co-founded with Alex Preston, had its most in-demand year yet — fully booked for a second consecutive year running, with a 100% school rebooking rate.

The outcomes remain the most striking thing in this report. Average child wellbeing scores rose from 3 out of 10 to 10 out of 10 across the programme. One child's school attendance climbed from 40% to full-time across six terms. Another returned to full-time mainstream learning within five weeks. As one parent put it: "I can see a huge difference around intent, this has helped her relationship with her sister and reduced conflict."

The charity also picked up the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality badge this year, and Alex Prestonwas named a finalist in the Northamptonshire Education Awards' EDI Champion Award category.

Reaching further into the community

A new partnership with Rhino Sports Academy brought the government's HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme to Courteenhall's woodland over Easter, welcoming 15 children a day across four days of forest school, with a four-week summer programme now confirmed to follow.

Elsewhere, a charity clay shoot for Ride High — the first the charity had ever run — brought together 72 participants across 18 teams and raised enough to bring 14 more children off its waiting list. For the second year running, we opened our parkland to the Northamptonshire Sport cross country event, hosting over 850 young runners from schools across the county. And Home-Start Daventry & South Northants continues to reach isolated families through a Volunteer Coordinator role we fund, with Johnny serving as the charity's Patron.

Land management — the numbers behind the awards

The environmental case is backed by hard figures: 7 Red List and 10 Amber List bird species recorded in the 2026 Big Farmland Bird Count, a 28.7km wildlife corridor established through the Tove Valley Cluster, 6.9 hectares of new woodland secured under the England Woodland Creation Offer, and 20% of the estate now managed primarily for conservation. Three Red Kite chicks were successfully ringed and confirmed healthy, and orchids have returned to areas where they've never previously been recorded.

Our Scope 1 and 2 carbon baselines are complete through our work with Ecometric, with a 2030 net zero target — though Scope 3 remains genuinely hard to measure and is honestly flagged as unfinished work.

Looking ahead

The Knot, our farm shop and restaurant, is finally in contract with the build underway, targeting a local-first launch in Summer 2027. 2026/27 will also bring an expanded HAF partnership, our ADOPT viability trial on grass-fed beef, and continued work towards B Corp certification at The Knot.

As Johnny puts it: "We are not remotely the finished article and still have huge amounts of work to do." But taken together — the King's Award, the John Nix Award, the bird count results, a fully booked New Leaf Learning — the direction of travel is right.

Summarised from Courteenhall Estate's Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2025/26 — 'Leaving a legacy to be proud of'.

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