Coast appeal

Sea splashed ankles and shoes in hand. Windswept trails to grassy headlands. The coast is our place – to play, to feel, to breathe. But this sanctuary could be lost forever. Help keep the coast alive

A man and two young girls splash in the water at Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire
The view from the cliffs at Carnewas at Bedruthan

The coast needs care

As seas rise and storms rage, our shifting shores are transformed. Natural erosion can bring beauty, but it can also destroy. From beaches and cliffs, to pathways and wildlife, there’s a lot to look after.

You’ve been helping us protect the nation’s coast for more than 50 years. But membership fees only cover a third of the cost of caring for this precious landscape – each coastal mile costs £3,000 a year to maintain. Please donate to our appeal and make a lasting difference to the coast.

Did you know?

  • In the UK no one lives more than 75 miles from the sea
  • In the UK 63 per cent of people think visiting the coast and seaside is important
  • We look after 48,800 hectares of coastal land

Donate to our Coast appeal

Please select an amount

Bossington Hill above Porlock Bay, on the Holnicote Estate, Exmoor National Park, Somerset.
£15 could help us create and maintain coastal paths
£25 could help restore and enhance coastal habitat, and keep wildlife safe
Wildflowers overlooking Freshwater West
Seal pups at Blakeney Point in Norfolk and the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast have flourished this year
£50 could help us monitor and protect endangered coastal wildlife
Or enter your own amount
National Trust coast and marine specialist Phil Dyke Play Video
Video

Shifting shores

Thanks to your generous donations, we’re now looking after more than 780 miles of the UK’s coastline. Our coast and marine adviser Phil Dyke explains how the changing climate is threatening our shifting shores, and how your continued support will help protect the natural coastal landscapes we love.

" Storm surges, rising sea levels and erosion are key challenges. But we can’t just build a ring of concrete around the whole coastline. We need to work with nature, understand when and where to protect the coastline and where to fall back and let nature take its course. "
- Phil Dyke, National Trust Coast & Marine Adviser
Tweet this
Young girls running across wet sand in the wind at Studland Bay, Dorset
white park bay low tide
Basking Blakeney seals
Looking across Rhossili Bay, Gower peninsula

Keep the coast open to explore

Breathing salty air from clifftop views, burying lazy toes in shelving sand, or exploring seaweed-splashed rockpools. We want these special moments to last.

Help us keep the coast alive

Limestone arches and white cliffs are the beautiful result of erosion. We can’t stop erosion, but we'll work with nature to protect the coast’s beauty, for all.

Support the wildlife we love

Coastal wildlife needs space to live. With your support, we’re working with others to make sure animals and plants always have a coastal place to call home.

Love the coast by giving today

We care for 780 miles of coastline. As a charity, that's a big job. We couldn't maintain this great coast without your generous donations. Thank you.

National Trust supporter Agnes Segal

A gift to the coast 

For supporter Agnes Segal, the coast means adventure, freedom and childhood memories of exploring the headlands and bays of the Llyn Peninsula. She’s leaving a gift in her will to the National Trust to help protect the coast and keep precious moments like these alive forever.

Discover Agnes' story
Family exploring sand dunes at Murlough National Nature Reserve

Leave a lasting legacy to the coast 

You could help us protect the coastline and wildlife with a gift in your will, and leave a lasting legacy for future generations. Find out more in our Gifts in Wills guide or contact our Gifts in Wills team. Or call us in confidence on 01793 817699.

Find out more about your gifts to the coastline

More about our coastal wildlife work

A Manx shearwater flies close to the surface

Seabird numbers soar on Lundy 

Seabirds such as Manx shearwaters are booming on the island of Lundy, Devon. We've worked with the RSPB to rid the island of rats to protect chicks and eggs of burrowing birds. This has helped triple seabird numbers to 21,000 in the past 15 years.

Affectionate puffins on the Farne Islands

Why we’re counting puffins 

We love counting puffins. We've upped our five-yearly census on the Farne Island to an annual event. Despite fears climate change is affecting food sources, our rangers discovered 43,000 pairs of puffins - a nine per cent increase since 2013.

Why give to the National Trust?

As a charity, we rely on the generosity of supporters to look after the coastline in our care. Not only do our supporters help to conserve wild beaches and protect the precious plants and wildlife that live there. They also ensure that future generations have the chance to witness the might of a stormy sea, explore the secrets of rugged rockpools, dive into stories of the past and make memories to treasure. With your support, we can continue to protect the irreplaceable. For ever, for everyone.

Fundraising Regulator
Donate now to the Coast appeal