About Us
The Aurora Trust is a UK based grant-making charity. It is part of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts and is one of the 17 trusts within this network.
The Trust was set up in 1989 and made its first grant in 1990. Over the past 30 years, it has made grants to numerous organisations across a range of sectors; all of which have worked towards tackling climate change in a fair and just way.
Our Trustees
Sarah Butler-Sloss
Sarah Butler-Sloss is the founder and Chair of the Aurora Trust. Sarah is recognised internationally for her work on sustainable development, sustainable energy and climate solutions and her approach to philanthropy; she is a regular contributor to UK and global policy debates in the field of sustainable energy. Best known for founding the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy in 2001, renamed Ashden in 2009, Sarah led the charity as Founder Director from 2001 to 2019 and is now Chair of Trustees. Sarah is also a trustee of The King Charles III Charitable Fund, the Butrint Foundation and the Linbury Trust. She has been named in Forbes’ list of the top 100 environmentalists.
Claire Birch
Claire is a trustee of the Aurora Trust and co-owner of Doddington Hall and Gardens. Claire is also a trustee of The Doddington Hall Conservation Charity, which aims to conserve and enhance the nature and history within and around the wider Doddington Estate.
Jeremy Rogers
Jeremy is a trustee of the Aurora Trust, Chief Investment Officer of Better Society Capital, and an Industrial Professor at UCL teaching Impact Investing. He was previously a Managing Director at JP Morgan and Investment Committee member for the Lankelly Chase Foundation and Big Issue Invest.
Our Team
Sian Ferguson
Trust Executive
Sian is the Trust Executive for the Aurora Trust and the Mark Leonard Trust. She has a background in Natural Science and 25 years’ experience working in environmental sectors with local government, regional government and the Audit Commission. Sian is Chair of Friends of the Earth Charitable Trust, trustee of the Choral Evensong Trust and sits on the Advisory Board for the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity.
Darren Chin
Deputy Trust Executive
Darren is the Deputy Trust Executive for the Aurora Trust and the Mark Leonard Trust. He oversees executive administration of the Aurora Trust alongside Sian. He previously worked in the legal sector but is now focussed on climate change related projects.
Beverley Huddy
PA/Administrator
Beverley is the PA/Administrator to the Aurora, Mark Leonard and JJ Charitable Trusts and the Climate Change Collaboration. She has previously worked at the Department of Education & Skills and Cancer Research UK.
Emily Griffin
Trust Support Officer
Emily is the Trust Support Officer for the Aurora Trust and the Mark Leonard Trust. Emily supports and works closely with the other team members to help manage and develop programmatic activity across the trusts and collaboration. Before joining, she worked at the UK Community Foundations and environmental charity Pure Leapfrog.
Jo Bushay
Trust Support and Projects Officer
Jo is the Trust Support and Projects Officer for the Mark Leonard Trust and the Aurora Trust. Jo collaborates closely with colleagues to coordinate and develop project activity across both trusts and their partnership initiatives. Before joining the trusts, she worked as a Phonics Lead and Primary School Teacher in London.