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Press Releases
Press release
Remote Essex island ‘lets the sea in’ to create new saltmarsh in fight against climate change
Major works to create and retain swathes of new saltmarsh habitat on a remote Essex island have reached a major milestone, providing a lifeline for the land and its wildlife in a changing climate and in light of rising sea levels.
Press release
Sycamore Gap tree ‘will live on’ as National Trust and National Park announce next steps
Following the felling of the much-loved Sycamore Gap tree in September, the National Trust has said that the seeds and cuttings taken from the fallen tree are showing positive signs of being viable for propagating.
Press release
Bodnant Garden gives ‘dinosaur trees’ a Welsh home-from-home as part of new ‘metacollection’ to protect Wollemi pine from extinction
The National Trust’s Bodnant Garden in North Wales, is joining together with Forestry England to plant critically endangered Wollemi pine trees as part of the first global ‘metacollection’ to save the iconic species from extinction and help protect the biodiversity of wild trees.
Press release
Our Beautiful Wild, a new film created by more than 100 young people, sounds the alarm for nature
On 27 November, young people from across the UK will come together in schools, social clubs and online to celebrate the premiere of Our Beautiful Wild, a new film showcasing the actions young people are taking for nature and their vision for the future.
Press release
National nature reserve ‘turns on the tap’ to create winter wetland for wildlife and reduce CO2 emissions
This month, rangers at Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve (NNR) in Cambridgeshire, cared for by the National Trust, will turn on taps across the site to allow water to flow from the lodes on higher ground to the lower laying fens, creating standing pools of water to create a winter wetland for wildlife, as well as sequestering carbon.
Press release
Adapting to climate change needs our ‘urgent, unswerving attention’ says National Trust with launch of landmark report
The National Trust is calling on all political parties to ramp up progress on adaptation by introducing new legislation that recognises the importance of adapting buildings, coastlines and countryside to cope with the impacts of climate change.
Press release
First pups of the season born at England’s largest grey seal colony on Blakeney Point in Norfolk
One of England’s most spectacular winter wildlife events is underway with the births of the first grey seal pups at Blakeney National Nature Reserve on the north Norfolk coast, cared for by the National Trust.
Press release
Record voter turnout at today’s National Trust AGM as members have their say on charity’s work and direction
This year more than 156,000 members voted on four resolutions and elected five members of the National Trust Council at the charity’s Annual General Meeting on 11 November. This year’s voting participation rate was a record for the National Trust and builds on three consecutive years’ of high turnout from members.
Press release
Record voting expected in National Trust AGM, as Chair pledges long-term commitment to the protection of nature and cultural heritage
Participation in the National Trust’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) this year is expected to hit record levels, as members meet today to discuss the charity’s work and direction.
Press release
The devil in the detail: A fiend re-emerges from the canvas of a painting by Joshua Reynolds
A fiend, which has lurked unseen in a painting by Joshua Reynolds, has emerged following conservation work by the National Trust.
Press release
National Trust, Blue Diamond and Ann-Marie Powell join forces to celebrate ‘gardens for all’ at 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show
The National Trust and Blue Diamond Garden Centres are delighted to be working with multi-award-winning garden design practice Ann-Marie Powell Gardens to create a prestigious show garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024.
Press release
National Trust issues key manifesto asks to protect nature and heritage for everyone
The National Trust’s Director-General Hilary McGrady has outlined the three minimum requirements any future Government should commit to, so the future of nature and heritage can be secured for everyone.
Press release
Storm Babet's widespread damage to landscapes, gardens and properties a taste of things to come, says National Trust
Storm Babet has left a trail of destruction across landscapes, houses and gardens cared for by the National Trust, throughout the spine of England.
Press release
Statement on the felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree
Our statement on the sad felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland.
Press release
Response to Sycamore Gap tree felling “inspiring” says National Trust, as trunk to be moved from heritage site
The iconic Sycamore Gap tree is set to be moved from Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, after it was felled in an act of vandalism a fortnight ago.
Press release
Taking the plunge:18th-century cold bath, believed to be only one of its kind in an assembly room, is uncovered in Bath
Archaeological excavations in the basement below the 18th-century Bath Assembly Rooms have revealed the remains of what was once a popular form of ‘taking the waters’ for health purposes – a Cold Bath.
Press release
National Trust urges Brits to enjoy the spectacle of a global autumn, right here at home
The National Trust is encouraging Britons to experience a world of autumn colour by visiting the global gardens on their doorstep as the seasonal spectacle gets set to tumble across the country over the coming weeks.
Press release
Award-winning design team to give historic National Trust parterre a sustainable and climate resilient future
The National Trust has appointed an award-winning landscape architect team to transform the traditional parterre at Wimpole in Cambridgeshire, to make it a more sustainable, climate resilient and biodiverse planting scheme that is ready for the future.
Press release
National Trust devotes record sum to historic buildings and collections conservation in 2022/23
The National Trust dedicated a record amount of funds to the conservation of historic buildings and collections in the last financial year, the charity’s latest Annual Report reveals.
Press release
Cornwall set to bloom as National Trust begins major grassland creation project
Clifftops and fields across Cornwall are set to be transformed into thriving wildflower meadows, thanks to a new three-year conservation project by the National Trust.
Press release
National Trust sets river ‘free’ with pioneering restoration approach in Somerset
A three-year project on the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate in Somerset has successfully reconnected a section of a Somerset river to its floodplain to create a new and instantly different waterscape using the innovative ‘Stage 0’ river restoration technique, first pioneered in Oregon, USA.
Press release
Rare medieval seal matrix that promised a ‘fast track’ to Heaven goes on display at its original home after 500 years
A rare medieval seal matrix that lay buried in a field for over 500 years is to go on show at its original home, the National Trust’s Mottisfont in Hampshire.
Press release
Spread of avian influenza has devastating impact on wild seabird colonies at National Trust sites
The National Trust has today announced that over 7,000 seabirds have sadly died from avian influenza (bird flu) this year across its most precious sites for seabird colonies around the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Press release
National Trust brings coastal land at Tintagel into its care
A stretch of rugged Cornish coastline that borders the medieval fortress of Tintagel has been acquired by the National Trust to look after on behalf of the nation.
Press release
Baby beaver boom on Exmoor in Somerset as three kits are born in conservation success story
Three baby beavers (kits) have been born at two different beaver enclosures on the Holnicote Estate near Minehead, Somerset, where the National Trust re-introduced beavers for the first time in 400 years in January 2020.
Press release
Castlefield Viaduct sky park to stay open until summer 2024 after project gets extended
Visitors will be able to enjoy Manchester’s sky park until autumn 2024 after the National Trust has been granted an extension by Manchester City Council to the popular Castlefield Viaduct project.
Press release
24 years on, National Trust completes longest running conservation project to conserve ‘late Renaissance masterpiece’ tapestries
The National Trust’s longest running conservation project is now complete – 24 years after it began.
Press release
Beavers released in Northumberland to help tackle the effects of climate change and boost nature
A family of four Eurasian beavers have been released on the National Trust’s Wallington Estate in Northumberland as part of plans to boost wildlife and increase the landscape’s resilience to a changing climate.
Press release
Devastating news for Arctic terns as suspected bird-flu outbreak wipes out a quarter of this year’s chicks at Long Nanny
Over 600 dead Arctic tern chicks have been recovered by National Trust rangers at Long Nanny on the coast of Northumberland, over the last two weeks due to a suspected outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu).
Press release
New study finds at least £4.4bn a year needed for nature and climate-friendly farming to meet legal targets
A new study commissioned by the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust finds that at least £4.4bn a year must be invested in nature and climate-friendly farming by the UK and devolved governments over the next decade to meet legally binding commitments.
Press release
Rare prayer book owned by priest who helped save the life of King Charles II goes on public display
A 400-year-old prayer book that once belonged to a priest who helped save the life of King Charles II, has gone on public display after being bought for the nation by the National Trust.
Press release
Conservationists say Government is “lagging behind” on preparing for climate change, ahead of ‘make or break’ adaptation programme
With much of the UK baked over several weeks by this month’s heatwave, the National Trust issues a stark warning that the country’s much-loved heritage, landscapes and communities are under increasing threat from extreme weather events and warmer temperatures, as a result of climate change.
Press release
Visitors to one of UK’s finest Georgian interiors can experience it as it was intended after ‘complex’ reweave of National Trust’s most important carpet
For the first time in more than 40 years, visitors can enjoy one of Britain’s finest early Georgian interiors as its designer intended, after its spectacular Axminster carpet – the most significant in the National Trust’s care – was recreated by the firm whose founder wove the original in the same Devon town in 1770.
Press release
Space to Have a Ball: everyone’s invited to the National Trust’s ballrooms – recreated at Outernet London for Pride celebration
To celebrate the month of Pride, the National Trust and Outernet London have created a free immersive experience that brings to life parties of the past in beautiful historic places, in busy central London. Taking influence from the Queer history of National Trust places, Space to Have a Ball combines the history of ballroom culture with the creativity of contemporary dancers.
Press release
New conservation heroes to help recovery of fire-hit Mourne Mountains
A small herd of traditional cattle will be helping to bring wildlife back to Northern Ireland’s highest peaks following a devastating fire two years ago.
Press release
New research and revelations about the 5th Marquess of Anglesey inspires a new exhibition at Plas Newydd
For the first time, the history of the 5th Marquess of Anglesey is shared throughout the house at Plas Newydd through an emotive exhibition. ‘All that was left’ tells the story of Henry Cyril Paget and the Great Anglesey Sales which saw all he had owned, sold to pay his debts.
Press release
Second-hand bookshops generate record breaking income
Latest figures show that visitors donated more than £2.5m to the National Trust through purchasing second-hand books at Trust properties in 2022.
Press release
Home and garden of pioneering garden designer and writer, Gertrude Jekyll, acquired for the nation
The National Trust has announced the purchase of Munstead Wood, the internationally important Surrey home and garden of influential plantswoman, designer and author Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932). The Trust has begun fundraising to support the restoration and reimagination of the garden and house, and will now work with the community and partners to develop plans on the best way to open the property to visitors in future.
Press release
Livestock will mimic wild ancestors to benefit wildlife on England’s first Super National Nature Reserve
Three years on from the ‘knitting together’ of 3,400 hectares of priority habitat to create the UK’s first-ever ‘super’ National Nature Reserve (NNR) on the Purbeck Heaths in Dorset, the National Trust is working with reserve partners on an ambitious project to create a 1,370-hectare open ‘savannah’ for free-ranging, grazing animals as it would have been thousands of years ago.
Press release
Dame Judi Dench calls on people to celebrate their lost loved ones by planting a tree with the National Trust to mark Celebration Day
This year Dame Judi Dench launches Celebration Day, which takes place on Sunday 28th May 2023.
Press release
Nature-positive farmers and business leaders call for companies to tackle nature crisis
Leading nature-positive farmers have joined industry leaders and charities WWF, the RSPB and the National Trust to urge businesses to tackle the nature and climate crisis.
Press release
National Trust Cymru grows Celtic rainforests of the future in new tree nursery
National Trust Cymru has established a new tree nursery, located in a remote area of Wales, to nurture endangered native tree species to help protect the area’s sensitive temperate rainforest environments and tackle the climate crisis.
Press release
National Trust awarded major funding for scientific research on its historic collections and sites
The National Trust has been awarded £809,000 to purchase science equipment by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and World Class Labs, through the Creative Research Capability (CResCa) programme.
Press release
National Trust calls on its 100-strong mowing team to help boost nature in landscape scale project
Spanning more than 21,000 hectares, the Stroud Landscape Project in Gloucestershire is making more space for nature through a network of wild places that are bigger, better joined up and more resilient to climate change.
Press release
Numbers of protected birds soar to new record after overhead power lines are removed on remote Essex island
National Trust rangers at Northey Island in Essex, with support from volunteers, have recorded record numbers of two protected bird species following the re-routing of the island’s power infrastructure.
Press release
Hedgerow study using artificial intelligence to help National Trust bring back its ‘blooming boundaries’
The National Trust is publishing research into the changes in hedgerows and density on its land in England and Wales since the start of the 20th Century, which will help inform its ambition for future conservation projects and aid plans to establish 4 million blossoming trees by 2030.
Press release
Farne Islands to remain closed for the breeding season, as first positive cases of bird flu are confirmed this year
The National Trust has today announced that a handful of cases of Avian Flu have sadly been confirmed on the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, as more seabirds return for this year’s breeding season.
Press release
National Trust invites public to celebrate fleeting beauty of spring in Blossom Week extravaganza
The National Trust is encouraging people to celebrate the fleeting seasonal spectacle of blossom in its first ever “Blossom Week”, a seven-day celebration of all things blossom, building on the success of the charity’s #BlossomWatch day.
Press release
Tackling the nature and climate crises is the biggest business opportunity this century, say industry leaders
Business leaders including Deborah Meaden and leaders from NatWest, John Lewis Partnership and the Financial Conduct Authority, are joining the UK’s three leading nature charities WWF, RSPB and National Trust to urge all businesses to act now to tackle the nature and climate crises.
Press release
Historic collections and archives of ancestral Myddelton family from over 400 years at Chirk Castle are sold to National Trust Cymru
Collections belonging to the Myddelton family and spanning over four hundred years of their occupation at Chirk Castle in Wrexham, North Wales, have been purchased by the National Trust.
Press release
One of the world’s largest and oldest oak trees returns to Chirk Castle
Three generations of the Williams family come together to plant a rare sapling at Chirk Castle, a sapling grafted from the Pontfadog Oak which stood during Owain Gwynedd’s defeat of the English and featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the ‘widest tree in Great Britain’.
Press release
Rangers move back into remote lifeboat house on Blakeney Point in Norfolk to protect internationally significant seabird colonies
Three National Trust rangers have moved back into the historic lifeboat house on the remote shingle spit of Blakeney Point, part of the Blakeney National Nature Reserve on the Norfolk coast which is cared for by the National Trust, to monitor and protect its significant colony of terns and give them the best chance of a successful breeding season.
Press release
Saving Our Wild Isles: Sir David Attenborough warns ‘this starts and ends with us’ in new UK nature documentary
The UK’s three leading conservation charities – the RSPB, the National Trust and WWF will launch brand new documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough and produced by Silverback Films.
Press release
Permission to foal around: New arrival set to help graze one of Europe’s most important wetlands
The first new foal of the year has joined the iconic Konik herd at the Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire, cared for by the National Trust. The new arrival coincides with the oldest member of the herd being due to turn thirty years of age, passing the baton to the next generation of this semi-wild grazing herd to carry on its important legacy of maintaining one of Europe’s most important wetlands.
Press release
“No more harm to nature”: Public calls for urgent change following pioneering citizens’ assembly
The first ever UK-wide citizens’ assembly for nature has today (23 March) published its recommendations for renewing and protecting our natural environment, calling for urgent and immediate action from every part of society.
Press release
Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Following recent news coverage around the challenges of the agricultural transition for upland farms, we have written an open letter to the Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP, calling for greater Government support and improved funding for upland farmers through ELMs.
Press release
Poet Laureate tells story of renewal and hope for World Poetry Day to help launch the National Trust’s annual ‘hanami’-inspired blossom campaign
Marking World Poetry Day, the National Trust has unveiled the first in a series of blossom inspired works penned by Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate, to help launch its annual campaign celebrating blossom, telling a story of perseverance, renewal, and hope.
Press release
“Mexican wave of colour” expected after cold snaps delay blooms, as National Trust launches its annual blossom campaign
The National Trust is launching its annual blossom campaign, which aims to bring the beauty of blossom to more people and to celebrate the start of spring.
Press release
National Trust, WWF and RSPB send urgent SOS for nature as Sir David Attenborough says ‘we must act now’ to Save Our Wild Isles
In their first major campaign together, the National Trust, the RSPB and WWF are urging everyone in society to come together to halt the destruction of UK nature and take urgent action to Save Our Wild Isles.
Press release
Return of traditional woodland management set to restore famous hotspot for endangered songbirds
The National Trust is hoping to amplify one of nature’s most beautiful sounds in the woods at Sutton Hoo, the famous Anglo-Saxon burial site in Suffolk and star of the 2021 Netflix film The Dig, by dramatically improving conditions and habitats for nightingales and other songbirds.
Press release
Love honoured at Nymans 50 years on
The name of artist Oliver Messel’s long-term partner, Vagn Riis-Hansen, has been added to the couple’s gravestone at Nymans, West Sussex, 50 years after Vagn’s death.
Press release
Landing on the Farne Islands to be restricted in efforts to protect precious seabird colonies
The National Trust has today announced that visitors won’t be able to land on the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, at the start of the 2023 season due to fears that Avian Influenza (bird flu) will rip through the seabird colonies once more.
Press release
Popular Fisherman’s path in Beddgelert repaired thanks to special delivery by Welsh Highland Railway
National Trust Cymru and Welsh Highland Railway team up to restore Fisherman’s Path at Aberglaslyn Pass in Beddgelert, Eryri (Snowdonia).
Press release
National Trust puts down roots of its first major community woodland
The National Trust is putting down the roots of its first major community woodland, with 90,000 trees due to be planted over the next three years, creating a 120-hectare future-proof woodland at Wembury Barton Farm on the stunning south Devon coast.
Press release
‘Surprising’ clothes moths slump of nearly 40% across National Trust houses, possibly helped by record heat and drought, charity’s annual insect pests report finds
Clothes moth numbers fell by nearly 40% across National Trust houses in 2022, driven in part by drought and record temperatures, the conservation charity’s annual insect pests report has found. The report paints a picture of insect activity at historic properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, helping the charity protect the more than one million objects in its care.
Press release
Reused, recycled, reborn...new exhibition at Killerton explores how circular fashion from the past can inspire what we wear today
‘Thirsty for Fashion’ a new exhibition at Killerton house just outside Exeter, will showcase over 50 items from the National Trust’s largest fashion collection, highlighting pieces that demonstrate the techniques used to repair, remodel, reuse and rewear clothing from the 18th century to the present day.
Press release
Castlefield Viaduct to reopen after winter closure with new community gardens
Visitors will once again be able to enjoy Manchester’s sky park when the gates of Castlefield Viaduct reopen to the public on Saturday 18 February 2023. The elevated park has been closed since December to allow time for the team of National Trust gardeners, volunteers, and community partners to prune, plant and create new areas on the giant 330-metre steel viaduct.
Press release
First apprentices in stonemasonry and carpentry & joinery get hands-on at National Trust sites as new scheme tackles heritage skills shortage
Seven apprentices are underway with their training in heritage skills in stonemasonry and carpentry & joinery at five National Trust places around the country.
Press release
New online tour gives public ‘virtual’ access to beavers for the first time
The National Trust has launched a virtual tour of its beaver closure on the Holnicote estate on Exmoor in Somerset, three years after the beavers were first introduced, helping mark World Wetlands Day.
Press release
A consensus on food, farming and nature
A group of farmers and environmental organisations, including the National Trust, Soil Association and RSPB, met in the margins of the 2023 Oxford farming conferences to forge consensus on a way forward for farming, recognising the huge pressures that many farming sectors are currently experiencing.
Press release
Nature, beauty, history – for everyone – National Trust announces highlights of its plans for 2023
Director General Hilary McGrady: “From beavers and blossom to Sir Joshua Reynolds, there’s something in our 2023 programme for everyone."
Press release
Rare Suffolk Punch takes Norfolk estate’s parkland back to its roots
A pair of rare breed horses are helping to take the parkland at the National Trust’s Oxburgh Estate in Norfolk back to its roots by turning a 50-year-old pine tree plantation into a haven for wildlife.
Press release
Historic 480-metre "lost avenue” restored in planting project honouring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A historic “lost avenue” of trees dating back to the eighteenth century and measuring half a kilometre has been recreated at Dyrham Park in South Gloucestershire, cared for by the National Trust, in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Press release
National Trust and University of Leicester launch pioneering film to explore fascinating stories of disability from the Trust’s sites and collections for the first time
The National Trust and the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) at the University of Leicester are delighted to launch Everywhere & Nowhere, a collaboration to share, for the first time, stories of disability from the sites and collections in the care of the National Trust.
Press release
National Trust saddened to hear of passing of John Sales, formerly Head of Gardens for nearly 30 years
The National Trust is saddened to hear the news of the passing of John Sales, who was the charity’s former Head of Gardens for nearly three decades. He died peacefully on 29 December 2022, at the age of 89.
Press release
National Trust warns 2022’s weather will become the new ‘norm’, creating stark challenges for nature
The National Trust has warned that this year’s tumultuous weather is set to become the new ‘norm’ causing a range of impacts for nature if steps aren’t taken to tackle the climate and nature crises.
Press release
Results from the 2022 AGM
National Trust’s 2022 AGM celebrates the best of history and nature as members have their say on the charity’s future.
Press release
Climate, nature, conservation and cost of living top the agenda as Director-General outlines challenges and opportunities ahead of National Trust’s AGM
Ahead of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) later today, the National Trust shares insight into a year of highs and lows and looks to its future, as the conservation charity navigates delivering its strategy amidst the challenging legacy of the pandemic and a difficult economic environment.
Press release
Response to horticultural peat ban
Our response to Defra's announcement of a ban on horticultural peat sales to amateur gardeners from 2024.
Contact us
If you would like to see any further press releases from our archive please contact the press office.