About Us

Canterbury Oast Trust (COT) is a dynamic and forward-thinking charitable trust set up in the mid-1980s by a pioneering group of parents. Today we support adults with learning disabilities across Kent and East Sussex to live independently and take control of their lives.

Our Vision

Care at its best

Our Mission

To enable safe, stimulating and fulfilling lives for adults with learning disabilities

Our Values

As we set about achieving our goals, we will make constant reference to the following values.  They will underpin our decision-making and help us preserve the essence of COT, whatever changes and challenges we face:

• Dependability – offering consistent quality and peace of mind to those who use, commission and visit our services.
• Progression – encouraging ongoing development for all those who live, study and work with COT
• Awareness – helping our visitors to understand and engage with learning disability
• Quality – maintaining high standards throughout the Trust, in a financially sustainable way
• Team-working – one team, working to a common vision
• Integrity – being open, honest and consistent in all we do
• Resilience – withstanding external pressures whilst keeping sight of our vision and mission.
• Equality – ensuring we are fair and equal in our dealings with all who live and work with us

We provide quality homes and training. We place an emphasis on supporting independence, developing skills and changing perceptions.

We provide 100 individuals with a home across Kent and East Sussex, and each house is unique with its own individual character. All our houses focus on family-style living.

We currently support a further 70 people at any one time to develop their skills and capacity through our Life Skills projects. And we are supporting more people all the time!

We have a number of vibrant commercial enterprises that generate income for the charity:

• The 100 acre Rare Breeds Centre and Granary Restaurant which attracts over 120,000 visitors a year
• Poulton Wood Nature Reserve - a beautiful 10 hectare conservation area
• Art at the Farm  - producing quality fine art and crafts
• Rare Breed Plants and Produce - enjoy our home grown fruit, veg and plants in your own home

Each of the above enterprises also has a development arm where our clients can train and develop their skills in a commercial environment. Find out more in 'Develop with Us'.

We have a dedicated community of staff, volunteers and fundraisers that support our valuable work. Find out more about their experiences.

We are a Registered Company No. 1897198 - Registered Charity No. 291662