National Trust celebrates 130 years with bold plans

The National Trust is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, the charity has announced ambitious plans for unprecedented action to tackle the nature crisis, end unequal access to nature and cultural heritage, and inspire millions more people to protect the world around them.

In and around Dartmoor, the trust operates and runs various sites.

These include:

• A la Ronde
• Bradley
• Buckland Abbey
• Cadover Bridge
• Castle Drogo
• Compton Castle
• Finch Foundry
• Fingle Bridge
• Lydford Gorge
• Parke
• Plymbridge Woods
• Saltram
• Shaugh Bridge

As Europe’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust, which celebrated its anniversary on January 12, 2025, has outlined a bold ten-year strategy, which includes:

• Working with partners to create 250,000 hectares of nature-rich landscapes, equivalent to one-and-a-half times the size of Greater London, both on its own land and beyond.
• Raising more funds in the next decade than in the previous century.
• Inviting people from all walks of life to ‘adopt’ plots of land at ‘nature super sites’ across the UK.

• Restoring vital peatlands, which store more carbon than the forests of Britain, France, and Germany combined, and improving the health of enough soil to provide a habitat for one billion earthworms, enough to circle the earth twice.
• Supporting 100 towns and cities in transforming and expanding green spaces.
• Forging a new partnership with leading mental health charity Mind to help address unequal access to nature and the ongoing mental health crisis.

The trust, which operates various sites across [NAME HERE], has a rich history that began on January 12, 1895.

• 1884 – The idea of the National Trust is born when Octavia Hill, one of its founders, is asked to help preserve Sayes Court Garden in South East London.
• 1895 – The National Trust is officially founded and receives its first property: five acres of clifftop at Dinas Oleu in Wales.
• 1896 – The trust purchases its first building, Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex, for £10.

Over the past 130 years, the charity has grown to become Europe’s largest conservation organisation, with 5.37 million members, 10,000 staff, and thousands of volunteers.

It now cares for more than 250,000 hectares of farmland, over 780 miles of coastline, and more than 500 historic properties, gardens, and nature reserves.

In response to its anniversary, the trust has set out an ambitious ten-year plan to tackle the climate and nature crises. 

These plans follow the largest public consultation in the organisation’s history, with over 70,000 people, including members, volunteers, and industry partners, sharing their views on the trust’s work and direction. 

This feedback has shaped the trust’s new strategy, which will guide its work over the next decade and beyond.

National Trust 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."

Key commitments of the trust’s new plan:

1. Tackling the Decline in UK Nature

Over the next decade, the National Trust will work in partnership with environmental organisations, farmers, landowners, and local communities to create 250,000 hectares of nature-rich landscapes. 

This will be the largest contribution to nature restoration in the trust’s history.

2. Expanding Access to Nature, Beauty, and History

The trust is also committed to ending unequal access to green spaces. Multiple studies highlight the wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature, yet access remains highly unequal. 

The UK’s mental health crisis continues to grow, with 17 million working days lost annually due to mental health-related issues. 

To address this, the trust is developing a partnership with Mind and other organisations to ensure its conservation sites can support more people, particularly young people struggling with mental health problems.

3. Inspiring Five Million More People to Protect Nature

To achieve these ambitious goals, the National Trust aims to inspire five million more people to take action for nature and heritage within the next decade; whether by volunteering their time, using their voices, or providing financial support.

As the National Trust embarks on its next chapter, its mission remains clear: to protect and preserve the UK’s natural and historic treasures while making them more accessible to future generations.