National Trust News Archive

• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008

For older stories please contact our main Press Office

October 2008

• Green place poverty rife
  New research has shown that one in four urban residents do not have regular access to a green place.
• Wet summer could lead to colourful fungi
  The wet summer and early autumn suggests that 2008 could be a bumper year for displays of colourful waxcap fungi.
• Sudden Oak Death
  The Trust's response to the Defra's consultation on new plant diseases.
• Shifting Shores
  Climate change impacts on south west coast, according to a new National Trust report.
• Stansted announcement
  Things are looking bad for the future of Hatfield Forest, as controversial airport plans are approved.
• Scaly Cricket survives
  Missing for nearly 18 months, one of the rarest insects in Britain has been found again on Branscombe beach in south Devon.
• Five fungal discoveries
  The recent wet weather has led to the discovery of five rare types of fungus at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire.
• Urgent action needed
  A better way of managing water is essential if we are to cope with a future where more frequent flooding and drought are likely to become the norm.
• World famous architects show their support
  Some of Britain’s leading and best-known architects have today joined forces in an attempt to help rescue Sir John Vanbrugh’s last masterpiece for the public.
• Celebrating the best food and drink from National Trust land
  The National Trust has announced the early season winners in its Fine Farm Produce Awards for 2008.

September 2008

• Fresh air, fun and new friends
  Why not consider a working holiday this year - they're cheap and very rewarding!
• Green standards review
  Nine of the UK’s leading environmental organisations today published the 2008 ‘Green Standard’ review.
• Autumn breaks
  A selection of holiday cottages for the perfect break.
• Conservation covenants report
  Conservation covenants could be a cost-effective way of protecting important green spaces.

August 2008

• Bovine TB latest update
  The National Trust and Bovine TB: a briefing note on the Trust's position.
• Holiday hotspots at risk
  Many of the nation's favourite seaside get aways are at risk of disappearing.
• Wilde about greener gardens
  Yorkshire Bank and the National Trust were helped with the launch of the Greener Garden campaign by pop star and gardener Kim Wilde.
• Discover heritage for free
  As part of Heritage Open Days this year, the National Trust will be opening over 300 of its properties for free on Saturday 13 September
• The Cliveden Snail
  A small colony of an Italian snail has been discovered for the first time in Britain on our Cliveden estate in Buckinghamshire.
• Jonny Wilkinson lends us support
  Rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson has urged us all to get behind the Seaton Delaval Hall campaign.
• Demand for bags down 95 per cent
  Since introducing a small charge for plastic bags, our shops have seen a massive decline in demand.
• New Quay boosts fishing
  Norfolk fishing community hopes for a brighter economic future thanks to the opening of a new quay.

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July 2008

• The Duchess
  Latest Hollywood movie be filmed with a spectacular Trust backdrop.
• Response to badger announcement
  Our reaction to Defra's statement on badger culling.
• Wildlife alien to children
  Our new survey reveals that children have lost touch with nature.

June 2008

• Seaton Delaval Hall
  We launch a huge consultation over the acquisition of this North Eastern gem.
• Simon Jenkins appointed
  The National Trust is pleased to announce Simon Jenkins as next Chairman.
• Trust response to Observer article on tenants
  The Trust has published a response to the Observer article dated 22 June.
• Hunt for Beatles' beetles
  John Lennon's former back garden is subject to a wildlife survey this month.
• The Big Switch
  The Trust is embarking on a project to switch over 40,000 light bulbs to energy saving onces.
• Garden wildlife survey
  National Trust launches survey to discover what's in the undergrowth!
• Severn Barrage too expensive
  Research shows that it is not cost effective to dam the estuary.

May 2008

• Studland fire wipes out wildlife
  A carelessly discarded cigarette is thought to have started a devastating fire in Dorset.
• Rare Beetle discovered at Wicken Fen
  A rare Crucifix Beetle has been rediscovered at Wicken Fen - after an absence of 50 years.
• Trust signs up surf champ
  Robyn Davies, top female surfer is to spearhead a new surf project in Devon and Cornwall.
• The plant hunters
  The UK's biggest ever plant hunt has begun at Killerton in Devon.
• 50,000 Volunteers
  We have reached the new landmark of more than 50,000 volunteers supporting our work.
• Puffin count starts
  A puffin count on the Farne Islands has begun to find how many breeding pairs live on the islands.
• Charge for plastic bags
  To lessen the impact on our environment we will be introducing a charge on all our plastic bags.

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April 2008

• Trust makes a stand on badgers
  We express our views on the proposed culling of badgers in Wales.
• Report calls for efficient land use
  Land needs to be better managed to meet the competing demands for food production.
• Nature's winners and losers
  Six different wildlife species that are seeing changes on land in its care.
• Good Egg Award
  We have been awarded for our use of only Freedom Food, free range eggs by our catering teams.
• The Sarum Missal
  We have acquired the sole surviving copy of 'The Sarum Missal' published by William Caxton in 1487.

March 2008

• A Welcombe acquisition
  We have acquired a new stretch of Devon and Cornwall’s beautiful unspoilt coast.
• Batty about shopping
  Perhaps it’s because they have a taste for shopping or they simply love living in some of the most ancient buildings, that bats are making Trust shops their home.
• Hatfield Forest under threat
  Hatfield Forest is under threat from a second runway proposed at Stansted.
• Secret garden revealed again
  The first stage of a garden restoration project at Quarry Bank Garden has been revealed.
• Mad March Hares
  Find the best places to spot hares this spring. Their mad March behaviour remains one of Britain’s great wildlife spectacles.

February 2008

• Action needed to deliver sustainable housing
  A new report on sustainable housing has been published by the National Trust, Redrow Homes and Bryant Homes.
• The Great Green Leap Day
  National Trust staff took February 29 off to do conservation work as part of 'Great Green Leap Day'.
• An extra day - who knows where it will lead?
  With 2008 being a leap year, the National Trust is inviting everyone to make the most of the extra day by trying their hand at volunteering.
• Valentine flowers flourish in Trust gardens
  In Devon and Cornwall the annual flower count showed an increase in the number of flowers blooming at this time of year.
• Energy Saving Day (E-Day)
  On 27 February the nation was challenged to cut energy in their home, school or office.
• Best year for Large Blue Butterfly
  Last year was the most successful year for the rare Large Blue butterfly since it was re-introduced at the National Trust’s Collard Hill in Somerset in 2000.
• The Other Boleyn Girl
  Released in March, this sultry epic romance features three National Trust properties.
• Helicopter helps restore peak bogs
  4,500 bales of heather brash were helicoptered to inaccessible areas of exposed peat in the uplands of the Peak District.
• Dunster Castle installs solar panels
  The National Trust has installed solar panels at Dunster Castle in West Somerset.
• Abseiling the Ice Tower
  On Friday 8 February, three very brave abseilers did something very out of the ordinary at Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd, Wales.
• Shifting Shores - a changing coastline
  Trust properties are at risk from coastal erosion and flooding in Ireland.

January 2008

• Fiona Reynolds becomes a Dame
  Fiona Reynolds, Director-General of the National Trust, has been awarded a DBE in the New Year Honours list.
• Giant's Causeway update
  The National Trust responds to announcement by Arlene Foster, Minister of the Environment.
• Release the potential of volunteering
  A report highlights how volunteering can improve quality of life.