Director General marks National Trust’s 130th birthday by unveiling ambitious plans for the next decade

Founded in the late 19th century to preserve the natural environment from the ravages of industrialisation, then adapting to save scores of country houses from dereliction in the wake of the World Wars, the charity is now ramping up its efforts to address the new national need: the climate and nature crises.

These plans follow the largest public consultation ever carried out by the National Trust, with more than 70,000 people – including members, volunteers and industry partners – sharing their views on the Trust’s work and direction. This consultation has provided the building blocks for the Trust’s new strategy, which will guide the charity’s work over the next ten years and beyond.

Director-General Hilary McGrady said: “For 130 years, the National Trust has responded to the crises and challenges of the time. Today, nature is declining before our eyes and climate change is threatening homes and habitats on a colossal scale. Meanwhile, millions of people can’t enjoy the benefits that green space and heritage bring.  

“So we will ramp up our work to restore nature, both on our own land and beyond our boundaries. We’ll work to end inequality of access to green space and cultural heritage. And we will inspire millions more people to take action to protect the things we all need to thrive.

“Our charity’s founders were passionate campaigners who recognised the threats to our natural and cultural heritage, and, against the odds, did something about it. That same boldness is needed today. The Trust is uniquely placed to do something about these challenges and it’s why we are setting ourselves these ambitious but much-needed goals.” 

Trust vows unprecedented action to tackle catastrophic decline in UK nature

Over the next ten years the Trust will work in partnership with environmental organisations, farmers, landowners and local communities to create 250,000 hectares of nature-rich landscapes, an area one-and-a-half times the size of Greater London, both on Trust land and off it. This will be the biggest contribution to addressing the catastrophic decline in nature the Trust has made in its history.

The Trust has laid the groundwork for this ambition over the past ten years, during which time it has restored 25,000 hectares of priority habitat landscapes; over the next ten, it is pledging to restore ten times that amount of land to a level that is rich in nature. This work will support efforts to tackle climate change.

The charity estimates that the benefits of this approach will include restoring vital peatland, which stores more carbon than the forests of Britain, France and Germany combined. It will reduce flood risk to many thousands of homes and businesses and also improve the health of enough soil to provide a habitat for one billion earthworms – enough to ring the earth twice.

With a focus on restoring peatland, improving the quality of the water in rivers, and reconnecting landscapes, the Trust will make strategic land acquisitions in support of this goal, and also support other landowners to manage their own land well for nature. It recently purchased a 78-hectare area of land at Lunt in Sefton to support a new network of woodland, woody habitats, wetlands and grassland, and form part of the local Community Forest. The land will open up access to more green space for nearby communities and connect a mosaic of nature-rich landscapes together, creating much-needed corridors for wildlife.

Trust launches ambitious plans to end unequal access to nature, beauty and history

Alongside stepping up its efforts to tackle the nature and climate crises, the National Trust will significantly grow people’s access to nature, beauty and history over the next ten years, with a view to eventually ending unequal access.

The Trust is delighted to take on the management of its first site in the city of Coventry. It will work in partnership with Historic Coventry Trust to care for The Charterhouse, a Grade I listed, 14th century former monastery in the heart of the city, and develop it as a hub for the local community. The historic building houses wall-paintings representing some of the finest examples of medieval and renaissance art in England, and the outside area includes a beautifully landscaped walled garden, and wider green space with wildlife pond and community orchard, children’s play area and grassland park. The Charterhouse provides a much-needed natural oasis in the heart of Coventry, linking with a wider city Heritage Park, and a unique opportunity to share nationally-important heritage with wider audiences.

The Trust is also opening Grantham House in the centre of the town of Grantham. The 14th century town house will offer a new community space and café, as well as free access to five acres of gardens including formal lawns and a walled garden. The gardens, community space and café open to the public from March.

Multiple studies demonstrate the wellbeing benefits of time spent in nature. But access to nature remains very unequal and the impacts of the UK’s mental health crisis are far-reaching, with 17 million working days a year now lost to mental health-related issues. So the Trust is developing a partnership with Mind, and will be working with other organisations, to ensure the conservation charity's hundreds of nature-rich places can help more people, particularly younger people with mental health problems.

With founding partners Natural England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Trust is inviting towns and cities across the UK to be part of a new programme, Nature Towns and Cities. With a full public launch this summer, the programme will support 100 towns and cities to transform and grow their networks of green spaces, so everyone can enjoy time spent outdoors in nature close to home. Partnership will be vital to achieving this goal, and the Trust is bringing together a strong coalition of like-minded organisations and funders from across UK society.

Inspire 5 million more people to care for the world around them in the next ten years

To achieve these ambitious goals the Trust is aiming to inspire five million more people to care for and take action for nature and heritage in the next decade, by giving their time, voice or money.

New volunteering opportunities, both directly with the Trust and with partner organisations, will give people the chance to make an impact in the areas most important to them. From spring, volunteers can help look after important freshwater habitats and species as part of the two-year, £4.2 million Freshwater Renaissance project, which aims to restore a functioning network of biodiverse and climate resilient freshwater habitats.

Fundraising will be critical to the Trust achieving these goals and the charity is aiming to fundraise more in the next decade than it has in the previous century.

People wanting to play their part in restoring nature by contributing financially can “Adopt a Plot”, via the National Trust’s new fundraising initiative allowing people to sponsor a plot of land for nature recovery at a site they choose. The first six ‘nature super sites’ have been selected because of their high potential to dramatically increase the benefit they offer to people and wildlife. They include Divis and the Black Mountain, Northern Ireland, where a three-year plan to restore up to 133 hectares of peatland is underway. Another site is Wallington, Northumberland, where four beavers are contributing to creating a wildlife-rich wetland landscape.

The Trust is co-producing a brand-new natural history series with The Open University for BBC One and iPlayer: Hamza's Hidden Wild Isles. The series follows wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin as he reveals hidden wildlife gems from across the four countries of the UK. The charity will use additional content from the series and new content featuring Hamza to connect as many people as possible to the joys and benefits of nature – bringing communities together, inspiring people to take action and providing an antidote to today’s mental health crisis.

For the first time in its 130-year history the National Trust will launch an ambassador programme. High-profile advocates who share a passion for the Trust’s charitable purpose will use their influence and networks to promote work, raise awareness and attract support for the charity. Among those to be recruited as ambassadors are classicist author and broadcaster Professor Mary Beard, environmentalist, author and broadcaster Mya-Rose Craig, presenter George Clarke and historian, broadcaster and film-maker David Olusoga.

The Trust is also launching an apprenticeships scheme for 130 young people who might not otherwise consider a career in the National Trust, and who may not be aware of the opportunities on offer. Apprenticeships will be based at locations round the country, in a range of careers including gardening and countryside management, as well as project management, information technology, finance and HR. The first round of apprenticeships will open for applications in May 2025.

Highest standards of care and conservation alongside world-class exhibitions, programming and artist commissions

Looking after England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s national heritage will continue to underpin everything the Trust does. Projects such as the £17 million transformation of Bath Assembly Rooms, Somerset, and the £1.2 million roof restoration of a 420-year-old Great Barn at Gawthorpe Hall, Lancashire, will ensure the preservation of irreplaceable historic buildings for future generations.

New exhibitions, displays and artist commissions will continue the Trust’s long historical legacy of presenting captivating art to visitors. Helios, a brand-new artwork by artist Luke Jerram, will open at Bath Assembly Rooms on 11 January, before touring other National Trust sites in 2025. A seven-metre model of the sun, Helios follows Jerram’s hugely successful Museum of the Moon and Gaia creations. It will shine a light on unique places, the benefit they offer to the nation, and the people who use and enjoy them.

Turner’s Vision at Petworth House and Park, West Sussex, 21 June – 16 November 2025, has been organised to mark the 250th anniversary of one of Britain’s most celebrated artist. This will be the first time in over twenty years that a wide range of JMW Turner’s studies of the Petworth landscape, on loan from the Tate, will be exhibited in the place that inspired him. Other exhibitions include Listen to the Voices of the Fen (18 July – 28 September 2025) with artist Kathy Hinde, an installation revealing the hidden sound-worlds and unnoticed voices of the wildlife at Wicken Fen, one of Britain’s oldest nature reserves. In Wales a new cultural project, Wanderland, will include a music commission on Ynys Mon, an outdoor art trail at Dyffryn Gardens, poetry in the landscape on the Llyn Peninsula, and a digital residency with artist Bedwyr Williams.

The Trust will continue its programme of development at a number of its most historically significant properties, with internationally-important collections, architecture, or figures and stories associated with them, including new standards of interpretation. For example, spaces have been developed at properties such as Nostell and Petworth to offer changing displays and temporary exhibitions, while new lighting to focus on key artworks and improve the atmosphere of dark interior spaces is being tested at properties such as Tyntesfield and Hardwick Hall.

The Trust will reflect local heritage in its cafés as well as its programming. Building on the introduction of signature Welsh dishes such as Welsh rarebit and beef and lamb cawl to National Trust Cymru sites, more regional and locally-significant food will be added to the menu in 2025. The Trust is also growing its range of favourites such as scones and cream teas by introducing new flavours, including a Coronation cheese scone, served with cream cheese and chutney, as a Father’s Day special. Using more produce grown in its historic kitchen gardens, as well as sourcing seasonally, will enable the Trust to be more sustainable across its cafés, while continuing to serve the dishes visitors love.

More details on the National Trust’s goals to restore nature, end unequal access to nature, beauty and history and inspire millions of people are available in its 2025-2035 strategy.