Clophill Heritage Trust has sold Clophill Eco Lodges, the six woodland lodges it developed beside Old St Mary's Church in Clophill, Bedfordshire, to Hitchin yoga teacher and working mum Hannah Fraser, in a sale handled by Christie & Co, specialist business property adviser.

The sale releases funds and volunteer time for the charity to grow its work with young people. Hannah plans a phased refresh through 2027, keeping the site's community roots and eco ethos.

Set in woodland in the heart of Greensand Country, the site's lodges sleep up to 24 guests, alongside The Nest, a communal and events space, and The Hive, a studio space. It is licensed for civil ceremonies and also hosts family celebrations, birthdays and anniversaries.

The lodges will stay open as usual through the winter, including over Christmas, and all existing bookings and weddings will go ahead as planned.

A charity project, ready for its next chapter

Clophill Heritage Trust is a volunteer-led charity, founded in 2010 to find a sustainable future for the ruined Old St Mary's Church, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The lodges were built in 2013 to help support this work. Over 15 years the Trust has grown into an established heritage and sustainability charity helping young people gain the skills and confidence to become resilient, independent adults.

Ali Bradbury BEM DL, founder and CEO of Clophill Heritage Trust, says: " The sale will release funds for our charitable work and, equally importantly, give us the time and capacity to develop new ideas, strengthen partnerships, attract additional volunteers and create more opportunities for young people.

"Following a thorough process, we're thrilled to welcome Hannah as the new owner. She understood the site, the Trust's ethos and the village straight away, and we're confident it's in very good hands. We look forward to working with her and the team to ensure the continued heritage care, sustainability work and the prosperity of our local community."

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Hannah Fraser, the new owner of Clophill Eco Lodges, adds, "Like a lot of working parents, I know how rare it is to properly switch off. The Lodges is one of those places where you feel it happens the moment you arrive, you're able to disconnect from busy daily life and reconnect with those around you.

"The Trust built something special here, with a lot of heart and a lot of volunteer hours. We'll invest carefully, keep what people love, and add the things that make a stay easy for everyone, from a couple escaping for the weekend to grandparents bringing the whole family. We'll also offer a small number of bespoke weddings and other celebrations per year. I want it to be somewhere you create lasting memories with friends and family, and somewhere that the village still feels is theirs."

Markus Grun, Business Agent – Retail & Leisure at Christie & Co, who led on the sale, comments, "Clophill Eco Lodges attracted an exceptional level of interest, giving our client strong competition and choice when selecting the right purchaser. Hannah stood out as someone who understood both the commercial potential of the lodges and the importance of their heritage and community connection. I am delighted to see the sale complete and look forward to seeing how Hannah develops this unique business in its next chapter."

Clophill Eco Lodges were sold at an undisclosed sum.

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• About Clophill Heritage Trust: Established in 2010, the volunteer-led charity (registered charity 1138974) was originally created to find a sustainable solution for the derelict site of Old St Mary's Church and support local heritage through young people's involvement. Over the past 15 years, it has developed into a sustainability and heritage-focused organisation, helping young people gain skills, confidence and knowledge to become resilient and independent adults. The Trust is recruiting two new trustees, is keen to attract more volunteers and welcomes interest from people passionate about young people, heritage, sustainability and community. clophillheritage.org
• About Hannah Fraser: Hannah lives in Hitchin with her husband Harry, their nearly one-year-old daughter and their greyhound, Pablo. A yoga teacher since 2021, she runs Worker Bee Yoga, offering classes for busy professionals in Hitchin and online, alongside a career in marketing services that she is now leaving to run Clophill full time.
• Clophill Eco Lodges, Old Church Path, Clophill, Bedfordshire MK45 4BP. Bookings: https://www.clophillecolodges.co.uk/
• About Christie & Co: Christie & Co is a leading specialist business property adviser that operates across the UK and Europe.
• Photos of the site and of Ali & Hannah are available on request. They are also available for interview.