The background of the charity goes all the way back to 1962, when a Dutch couple, Willem and Helene Koppejan, set up a charity in Holland to publish and spread books, brochures and correspondence courses in the domain of cosmology and religion. Their interests were astrology, Christianity and the lost tribes of Israel. Willem and Helene bought a house in Glastonbury and set up an English charity in 1968, The Real Israel Press, to publish and distribute literature for the advancement of religion. In 1978, the couple bought three retail properties at the foot of Glastonbury High St, which they converted into a complex of shops and function rooms called The Glastonbury Experience. Willem died in 1979 and Helene continued the development of the Experience in conjunction with a wide variety of other people. The shops had an arts and crafts focus originally, although over the years this was to change, reflecting Glastonbury’s development as a centre for contemporary spirituality.

The Glastonbury Experience operated at a financial loss for many years, much of which was paid for from Helene’s private funds. In 1987, Helene met Barry Taylor, a management and financial consultant based in London, with a strong interest in spirituality. Barry agreed to visit Glastonbury once a week to supervise the running of the Glastonbury Experience and put in place a management plan that turned the business around over the next few years. Barry duly moved to Glastonbury and in 1994 Glastonbury Courtyard Ltd was formed to own and manage the Glastonbury Experience with the shares owned equally by Barry and Helene.

In 1992, a new charity had been set up by Barry and Helene, The Glastonbury Trust, whose objects were to benefit the public through the advancement of religion and education generally. The Trust took over the assets of The Real Israel Press when that charity was closed down. In 1997, Barry and Helene made an agreement that in the event of either of their deaths, Glastonbury Courtyard Ltd and the ownership of the Glastonbury Experience would pass to the new charity. They stated in the agreement that where possible the Glastonbury Trust should pursue a policy of “offering help, guidance, teaching, training and healing on all aspects of spiritual growth and ecological awareness”.

Helene Koppejan died in February 1998 and the Glastonbury Experience duly passed into the ownership of The Glastonbury Trust along with other properties owned by Helene. The present incorporated charity, The Glastonbury Trust Ltd was registered in 1999 to receive all the assets of The Glastonbury Trust.

The charity has funded both ecological and spiritually oriented projects in the Glastonbury area, including sustainable housing, organic horticulture and spiritual development. In April 2003, trustees agreed that the core educational subjects for the Trust to advance should be.

▪ Social and community advancement
▪ Sustainable development – learning to create quality of life
▪ Preservation and improvement of the environment
▪ Culture, arts and heritage
▪ Religious studies
▪ Human ecology.

In March 2004, trustees agreed to adopt a policy of promoting experiential spirituality within education, which was not intended to preclude the charity from making donations towards other core subjects, but would provide a clear focus for the bulk of the Trust’s activities. This policy is reflected in the projects detailed elsewhere in the website.

The trustees of The Glastonbury Trust Ltd would like to express their warmest thanks and appreciation for the vision, hard work and generosity of Barry Taylor and Helene Koppejan, which has led to the existence of the charity as a financially secure and thriving organisation, which continues to expand and develop in new ways.