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Puffins on the Farne Islands, Northumberland

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The high beech canopy in summer

Woodland sounds boost wellbeing, according to new study 

In a new study we've commissioned, woodland sounds have been shown to have a direct impact on our wellbeing, making us more relaxed, less stressed and less anxious. The results revealed that woodland sounds make people feel 30% more relaxed.

Learn more about the impact of woodlands
Jackdaws eat caterpillars that destroy box hedges

Jackdaws help us look after box hedges 

Jackdaws are helping us manage a destructive caterpillar that eats away at the box hedges, which are a key feature of the historic gardens in our care. Much to the relief of our gardeners, the small black crows have been eating the box tree moth caterpillars that have been affecting the hedges at Ham House and Garden in Richmond.

Views like this of Long Mynd from Haddon Hill are under threat

Heather landscapes threatened by climate change  

In late summer the hills at Long Mynd in Shropshire and Holnicote in Exmoor are normally carpeted with purple heather. This year most of the heather at these treasured landscapes in our care didn't bloom because of climate change. Find out what we're doing to get the heather flowering again.

Heather landscapes threatened by climate change
The Cerne Abbas giant, Dorset

Cerne Abbas giant gets a makeover 

We're cleaning up the Cerne Abbas giant, the mysterious figure that has loomed large on a Dorset hillside since the 17th century, if not longer. Now in its 100th year under our care, the 60-metre giant will be re-chalked to ensure its outline remains sharp, bright and visible for miles around.

Little Tern, in flight, carrying a fish

A good tern for rare seabirds 

A colony of little terns at Long Nanny has had its most successful season for almost 30 years. The increase in numbers is largely thanks to our rangers, who camped out for three months to protect the birds' nests. This month they counted 54 fledgling chicks leaving the area to start their long migration to West Africa. Last year there were no fledglings as storms forced 40 breeding pairs to abandon their nests.

More on our work at Long Nanny
Detail of Saint Agatha by Carlo Dolci (1616 – 1687), oil on canvas, c. 1665-70 / Osterley NT 2900293

Masterpiece returns to Osterley 

‘Saint Agatha’, by the 17th-century Italian artist Carlo Dolci, has been acquired by the National Trust, thanks to a grant from Art Fund and other generous donations. Once part of the collection of the Child family at Osterley Park, Middlesex, it will be returning to hang there once again and will be the highlight of a new winter exhibition.

Sutton Hoo replica helmet

Sutton Hoo re-opens after £4 million project 

The Anglo Saxon royal burial site of Sutton Hoo in Suffolk has been transformed thanks to a £4 million investment that was made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and our members, supporters and donors. New displays, exhibitions and immersive experiences tell the complete story of this world-famous site and the archaeological discovery of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship.

Discover the new Sutton Hoo
Neil Heseltine, a farmer at Hilltop Farm in Malham in the Yorkshire Dales, took away the Farming with Nature award

Fine Farm Produce Awards 2019 

The winners of the Fine Farm Produce Awards have been announced at BBC Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

Child building a woodland den

Speaking nature's language 

A new study has shown that our language for the natural world is being lost, especially among younger generations. Uses of nature words such as tweet, web, steam and cloud are now being overtaken by digital technology. To help re-connect children with nature, we've launched an updated version of our '50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾' activities.

Learn all about '50 things'
Peter Moore examing the fragment

Rare glass fish fragment sheds new light on Roman Britain 

Part of an 1,800 year-old glass fish, the only one of its type ever discovered in Britain, has been discovered at Chedworth Roman Villa in Gloucestershire. The find – so rare it has taken glass experts around the world two years to identify it – sheds new light on the wealth and influence of those who imported it from the Black Sea more than a millennium ago.

Read the full story
A beautiful hay meadow at Hill Top farm, Near Sawrey

Hay meadows are flourishing again at Beatrix Potter's Hill Top 

Three hay meadows at Hill Top in Cumbria, where Beatrix herself used to work, are flourishing again following a 25-year project. The meadows were among Beatrix Potter’s favourite beauty spots and provided the inspiration for some of her much-loved characters. Thanks to decades of careful management, they are once again a haven for wildlife.

Learn more about the project
Sunset at Formby beach

How we're changing our investment policy 

As Europe's largest conservation charity, we're committed to playing our part in helping the UK achieve net zero emissions. We will do everything we can to protect the natural environment and we’re changing our investment policy to support this.

Find out about the changes we’re making
Heather growing alongside a coastal path looking out towards the sea at sunset

Our rangers stand up for nature 

Fifty National Trust rangers attended a mass lobby calling for politicians to pass ambitious new environmental laws and back efforts to stop climate change. They were joined by our Director General Hilary McGrady and thousands of others from more than 130 organisations at the Time is Now lobbying event organised by Greener UK and the Climate Coalition.

Find out how we're standing up for nature
Children in the Rose Garden at Sunnycroft, Shropshire

Pick of the bunch: children's favourite flowers 

Roses, sunflowers, daffodils and daisies - what's your favourite? We've carried out a survey to discover which flowers children love most as we encourage them to get outdoors and connect with nature.

Read the story
Person walks through a park covered in wildflowers

Our vision for the future of parks 

We are part of a national initiative to reboot our parks, making them places to rest, explore and play.

Find out more
A Manx shearwater flies close to the surface

Seabird numbers soar on Lundy 

Seabirds such as puffins and Manx shearwaters are booming on the island of Lundy off the coast of Devon. According to research, led by RSPB, seabird numbers on Lundy have tripled to 21,000 during the last 15 years. The increase follows a project we were involved in to rid the island of rats, which were threatening the chicks and eggs of burrow nesting birds.

More on our work at Lundy

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