About the cluster

Community interest statement

The company's activities will provide benefit to the landscape of the Upper Medway (above the Eden) and the land stewards managing land within this geography. The community includes in particular, but without limitation, both the land (and life on it) and the farmers, land managers and stewards within it, as well as those involved in rural activities.

How we got here

The cluster grew out of the Upper Medway & Shovelstrode Catchment Group project that ran through winter 2024–25, funded by the High Weald National Landscape's Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) scheme. That project produced the first real catchment-scale conversations between land managers on this stretch of the Upper Medway. It delivered practical results — better-coordinated deer management across boundaries, social and information events that were well attended, and a clearer shared picture of what the landscape needs.

By the end of the project it was obvious that the work should not stop. A durable structure was needed — one that could hold funding on behalf of the group, enter into partnerships, speak with one voice to public bodies and private funders, and keep the cluster connected in the longer term. The Community Interest Company is that structure.

Governance

The Upper Medway Land Stewards Cluster was incorporated as a Community Interest Company in early 2026. It is a company limited by guarantee, without share capital, and is subject to the CIC regulatory regime.

The asset lock means that if the CIC is ever wound up, any remaining assets pass to the Ashdown Forest Foundation rather than being distributed to directors or members. This is a standard CIC protection: it guarantees that value created by the cluster stays in the community for which it was created.

Not political

The cluster is not a political party, not a political campaigning organisation, and not a subsidiary of either. It exists to do practical land-stewardship work in the Upper Medway catchment.

Use of surpluses

Any surplus the CIC generates is reinvested into its activities — habitat creation, policy navigation, infrastructure support, land-steward networking, community engagement and education. Nothing is paid out to directors or members.

The board

The cluster is run by a board of directors drawn from local farmers and land managers active in the catchment. Director details are on the Companies House public register for anyone who needs them. We do not publish names and personal details here out of respect for members' privacy — enquiries should come through the contact page.