Welcome to our 2024–25 Annual Report. Please use the tiles below or the menu above to explore the full report.
©National Trust Images/Paul Harris
Image above: A National Trust ranger speaking with families at the Moorland Discovery Centre, Longshaw Estate, Derbyshire
Annual Report
01
The National Trust in brief
Message from the Chair and Director-General
02
Board of Trustees’ report
03
Council report
04
Our impact
05
Strategic report
06
Financial review
07
Governance
08
2024–25
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Read the full report in our PDF of the National Trust Annual Report 2024–25.
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Contact details
Climate and environment summary report
Championing our cause
People and resources
Growing support
Urban places
Curation and experiences
Land and nature
Looking after
Contents
National Trust | Annual Report 2024–25
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The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a registered charity (no. 205846). It is incorporated and has powers conferred on it by Parliament through the National Trust Acts 1907 to 1971 and under the Charities (National Trust) Order 2005. The Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees whose composition appears here. A brief description of the Trust’s organisation is given here. Our bankers, investment advisers and independent auditors are identified here and the contact details for our principal offices are listed here. This Annual Report has been prepared by the Board of Trustees and covers the period March 2024 to end of February 2025.
Financial statements
Operating margin
Year on record
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10
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What we stand for
Nature, beauty, history
For everyone, for ever
What we do
We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. Many millions share the belief that nature, beauty and history are for everyone. We look after the nation’s coastline, historic sites, countryside, and green spaces, ensuring everyone benefits. We show the value of heritage and natural places by encouraging people to help look after them through promotion and partnerships.
Nature and the historic environment are under threat. They’re essential to everyone, they enrich people’s lives and are part of the fabric of society and they urgently need more care.
Why we do it
From wild and precious places to the world outside your window, the National Trust offers access, enjoyment and a chance for everyone to help out in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Where we do it
With our staff, members, volunteers and supporters, the National Trust is the biggest conservation charity in Europe. Everyone can get involved and everyone can make a difference.
Who we are
Our values
Love people and places
Welcome everyone
Think now and for ever
Make it happen
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Annual Report 2024–25
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©National Trust Images/John Miller
Image above: The Centenary Viewpoint, Dinas Oleu, North Wales
2/16
Image above: Gardener working in the top garden at Stourhead Wiltshire
The Trust has always been about presentation and promotion as well as preservation. To remain fresh and relevant we have become more innovative in our efforts to enhance the visitor experience. We are, for example, spending £18 million on installing a new visitor experience reimagining the Assembly Rooms in Bath. And we have planned investment, as part of our Discovery Houses programme, to turn 28 outstanding houses and collections into world-class cultural destinations based on visitor feedback. In this report you will read about the progress made during our last strategy. In January, we published our new 10-year strategy, People and Nature Thriving. In it we set our shared ambitions for the nation and our response to severe ecological and societal challenges. To inform it, we engaged in a historic consultation. Over 18 months we listened to more than 70,000 people, including many of our members, who told us what they cared about, what they were interested in, and what they wanted from the Trust in the future. Nature is in decline. The UK is losing more of its precious species and habitats year after year. We must stop and reverse this decline for the benefit of all; indeed, to ensure our survival. To this end we will be creating 250,000 hectares of nature rich landscape over the next decade. We will also seek to restore our critically important peatlands, which are remarkable natural stores of water, carbon and biodiversity. The decline in nature is matched by a decline in people’s access to both nature and heritage. We will work to overcome barriers of all kinds—financial, practical, cultural—which prevent people from securing the personal and social benefits that come from being in nature and being engaged with this nation’s rich and multi-faceted heritage.
Octavia Hill’s vision has been at the heart of all the Trust has sought to achieve in its 130-year history. It has saved and opened up unique landscapes, reclaimed much of our precious coastline, cared for historic buildings, and cherished exceptional gardens. But in keeping with our original purpose we have sought to ensure that everyone in the nation—regardless of where they might live or where they might come from—can enjoy the UK’s amazing heritage and nature. Our Heritage Open Days festival and our annual Blossom Festival in towns and cities were huge successes and engaged new audiences in places where access to green space is limited. We were delighted that our first display garden in a decade at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, aptly called the Octavia Hill Garden, won not just a Silver Gilt Medal but the Children’s Choice and People’s Choice awards too. We are doing more conservation work than ever before in our history, and we are encouraging people to see us at work first hand. At Lanhydrock in Cornwall, for instance you could clamber up on the scaffolding to get a close look at the 400 year old Jacobean ceiling undergoing restoration. At Holnicote in Somerset you can see how one of our Riverlands projects is reducing flooding, increasing biodiversity and improving soil quality. If you are lucky, you might even spot the beavers making their own contribution to our efforts.
The right of access to beauty and nature is an essential element towards the wellbeing of every man, woman and child
Octavia Hill, Co-founder of the Trust
Looking forward, we will redouble our efforts to serve the next generation through our outreach, programming and apprenticeship schemes in fields such as conservation management, gardening, stone masonry, and joinery. Despite strong financial results in the year and a relatively stable membership of 5.35 million, we are mindful that labour and capital costs look set to continue rising ahead of the rate of inflation. We are also very aware that our staff, volunteers, and the public at large also face financial challenges. Thankfully, we are encouraged that surveys show staff, volunteers, and the general public have high levels of confidence in the work of the Trust. We are renewing the ways we work and raising funds on an unprecedented scale to further our new ambitions but the Trust cannot succeed on its own, not even with the support of its wonderful members, volunteers, and partners. For People and Nature Thriving to be realised, we need to combine our efforts and our voice with others. We will inspire millions more people beyond our membership to care for and take action to nurture nature and heritage over the next decade. We as a nation have benefited from and learned so much from the ingenuity and industry of previous generations. We must now work together to secure our own contributions to that precious legacy.
René Olivieri CBE
Chair
23 July 2025
Director-General
Hilary McGrady
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©National Trust Images/James Beck
Image above: SEN visitor exploring the garden at Attingham Park, Shropshire
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The Trustees are pleased to present the 2024–25 Annual Report and Accounts of the National Trust.
Investing in conservation
It has been a positive year for the Trust, despite ongoing external challenges. We look ahead with confidence but vigilance, as we mark our 130th anniversary, focusing on long-term impact with a new strategy.
We need to act now to restore nature. Our approach informs how we manage land, source energy, protect wildlife, and look after historic buildings and collections, and we want to inspire others to do the same. This year, we invested £7.3 million at Sandilands near Sutton-on-Sea to transfer a former golf course into a 30-hectare (74-acre) wetland nature reserve to create a wildlife haven and somewhere for visitors to connect with nature all year round. We also supported a major partnership with Defra, English Community Forests and The Woodland Trust which should see two million trees planted on Trust land over the next five years.
Climate action and nature loss
We reviewed our conservation principles to ensure that public benefit is at the heart of our decision-making process and enabling us to prioritise and deploy our resources more effectively. We approved an £18 million project, to conserve the Bath Assembly Rooms and create an innovative and fully accessible visitor experience. And we approved plans for major infrastructure projects at Shugborough, Saltram and Trelissick to make improvements for visitors.
Our total spend on property projects and acquisitions was
an increase from £193.4 million last year.
£221.2 million
This year, we dedicated ourselves to finalising our 10-year strategy, People and Nature Thriving. This is a commitment to face the defining challenges of our time: to restore the natural world and to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can access the beauty, history and nature that belongs to us all. We’re developing a new set of key performance indicators by which to be held accountable by our supporters. We’ll also be reshaping the organisation to align with the new strategy.
Strategy
We’re focused on creating inclusive places, building strong support networks, and connecting with a wide range of communities to ensure we provide public benefit for as many people as possible. We’re making real progress in improving physical access to our properties and, through our outreach and urban work, we’re engaging with new audiences. However, we also recognise that our workforce does not yet reflect the diversity of the nation. We’re prioritising inclusive recruitment and talent development and for the first time, we’ve publicly reported on this. We’re benchmarking our progress to hold ourselves accountable. To support broader representation in governance, we’re expanding our Board to 13 Trustees and introducing a non-voting Trustee apprentice role to develop future governance volunteers. Our latest People Engagement Survey shows that staff and volunteers remain highly engaged and continue to find fulfilment in their work. We’re proud to have been recognised in the Financial Times UK Best Employers survey, where we were ranked 46th—a testament to the dedication of our people and the strength of our shared purpose.
Everyone welcome
Membership decreased slightly and was below target but remained strong with 2.61 million memberships (5.35 million individuals). Member retention was stable while visitor numbers grew to 25.9 million from 25.3 million in 2023–24. Paying visitor figures increased by 5%, continuing a trend seen last year, where cost pressures meant that visitors were more likely to ‘pay on the day’ than be able to commit to annual membership. This year we reviewed member and visitor experiences to understand what’s working and where we can improve. These insights will help us create an even better welcome and rewarding experiences for all. We agreed that membership prices would increase by an average of 5.6%. We know this comes at a time when many people are feeling financial pressure. However, this change is essential to help offset rising costs, maintain conservation and continue to offer great days out. We’re always thankful for the support of our members, but especially during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. We’re committed to delivering value for our members and continuing to invest in the things that matter most to you.
Membership and visitors
We’re pleased to report that at the end of the year the Trust was in a solid financial position. Funds raised from appeals, gifts and grants were at record levels and commercial income performed well. This provides a strong foundation as we navigate rising costs. We anticipate a more challenging operating environment during the coming year. We’re closely monitoring developments, managing resources responsibly and implementing appropriate mitigation measures.
Financial performance
The 2024 AGM took place at the Civic Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was a hybrid event where we were joined by 721 members. You can read about the AGM by clicking below.
Annual General Meeting
Our members and supporters enable us to carry out our work. Thank you for supporting our ambitions. Together we can restore nature, end unequal access to green spaces and culture, and inspire millions of people to care for nature and history. And a special thank you to our staff and our volunteers, whose dedication and passion is key to our success.
Thank you
This year an external board evaluation confirmed that the Trust is supported by an effective and well-functioning board. The evaluation highlighted a few areas for further development, which we are addressing through a structured action plan.
Visit our site
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We allocated significant resources to conservation efforts.
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The Board of Trustees is legally responsible for all aspects of the National Trust. Its role is to hold the Director-General and her staff to account for the delivery of the Board’s strategy. The role of Council is separate but complementary to that of the Board of Trustees. The Council’s key governance responsibilities are to appoint the Board of Trustees and to hold it to account. Drawing on its members’ broad range of skills, views and experience, it ensures that the Trust’s long-term objectives are being met and that its purposes continue to be conducted for public benefit.
Introduction
The Council comprises 36 members made up of 18 elected members and 18 members from Appointing Bodies (see below) and the Chair of the National Trust. All positions on the Council run for three years. Members may be reappointed or re-elected for two additional terms. A short report on the Council’s activities during 2024–25 follows:
The Council
Council members received meeting minutes and pertinent operational information, to give an appropriate level of oversight of how the Board fulfils its responsibilities as the Trust’s governing body. Council members have the option of attending ‘Listening Sessions’ led by the Director-General to keep them updated on current activities. The Council held three meetings throughout the year with the focus remaining on development and implementation of its new strategy. The June meeting was combined with a regional visit to North Wales. Site visits included:
The Ogwen Valley to learn about the Afon Ogwen restoration project, in-hand farming and the partnership with The Outward Bound Trust at Ogwen Cottage offering young people the opportunity to access the outdoors.
The Slate Museum in Llanberis and Penrhyn Castle which demonstrated an excellent example of partnership working.
Bodnant Gardens, to gain an insight into potential investment plans.
The Council held a ‘holding to account session’ providing the opportunity to challenge the Board of Trustees on chosen topics. These included:
Climate: How was the Board ensuring the Trust is recognised as a leader on climate-change action and is inspiring action from key audiences?
Volunteering: What was the Board’s understanding of what the Trust was doing to engage new audiences in volunteering, particularly young people and how could the new strategy assist with this?
Conservation: How do we prioritise collections conservation practice in the context of public benefit, significance and resources?
The Council also considered an external consultant’s report which evaluated the Board in ensuring good governance and strategic decision-making. The report gave the Council confidence that the Board was effective, and recommendations for development were welcomed by Trustees.
The Council reappointed René Olivieri for a second term as Chair from 1 February 2025 and Sandy Nairne for a second term as Deputy Chair from 6 February 2025. The Council also appointed four Trustees with support from an independent search consultancy. Alison Phillips, Richard Huntington and Michael Salter-Church were appointed for a three-year term from 1 September 2024. Helen Browning was also appointed for a three-year term from 1 September 2025.
Board of Trustees
Holding the Board of Trustees to account
Trust Members elected 18 Appointing Bodies in 2024. These are organisations that have a significant interest in the Trust’s work and are elected every six years. Each Appointing Body is responsible for appointing or reappointing a person to Council. 11 organisations were re-elected and seven new ones were elected. Click below to download the PDF of the full Annual Report to view the full list of elected and appointed Council members.
Appointing Bodies
Trust Members elected six Council members in 2024 comprising three re-elected and three newly elected candidates. The elections reflected the recommendations made by the Nominations Committee for Elections to the Council. A new Nominations Committee was established in winter 2024 to prepare for the 2025 elections.
Elected Members
The Council remains confident that the Trust is operating in accordance with its charitable purpose and is satisfied that the Board continues to fulfil its role.
In summary
Senior Member of the Council
Sarah Hollingdale
We are keen to receive applications from people in underrepresented groups and areas to better reflect the diversity of our work and membership. Click below for further information.
Any member can apply to join Council1
1 Subject to eligibility terms set out in the Governance Handbook.
Council Member
The partnership working we saw with Outward Bound and the Slate Museum showed the value of community and collaboration to maximise public benefit.
The summer visit is valued by Council members, Trustees and the Executive to form connections and a ‘one team’ approach.
©National Trust Images/James Dobson
Image above: Ranger pulling weeds on the cliffs at Boscastle
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Image above: View of the new Hardwick Hall, c.1591–7, from the ruins of the Old Hall, Hardwick, Derbyshire
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The Trust exists to protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive.
Historic buildings
330
houses including 192 historic houses
industrial monuments and mills, and the sites of many factories and mines
47
pubs
39
lighthouses
churches and monasteries
49
medieval barns
37
villages
56
castles and chapels
41
heritage national plant collections
29
gardens and parks
200
dovecotes
77
hillforts
140
items in our collections
More than 1 milllion
ornamental lakes
175
(1,441 km) of coastline and approximately
896 miles
(617,763 acres) of land, much of outstanding natural beauty
250,000 hectares
March Visitors return to the Farne Islands after avian flu.
The year in pictures
1
2
3
£123.2 million
in fundraising income
in membership income
£309.4 million
in commercial and direct property income
£321 million
in investment and other income
£12.6 million
Whether you’re one of our 5.35 million members, a donor, a grant giver or a paying visitor at one of our places, you’re making a difference in helping the Trust protect special places and make them available for everyone to enjoy, for ever. Thank you for your support!
Every pound makes a difference
Opening our properties for people to enjoy and taking care of the day to day expenditure needed to make our places safe, welcoming and efficient.
£399.4 million*
in property operating costs
Conserving the special places in our care, acquiring and protecting new places for the nation. Includes over £11 million on acquisitions. Click below to download the PDF of the full Annual Report for a list of the nationally-important places and collections now in our care.
projects and acquisitions
£221.2 million* in property
Administering our membership, reaching and recruiting new members and investing in the technology needed to provide the best membership experience we can.
in membership costs
£63.1 million*
The cost of generating the £84 million of income that our subsidiary companies raised: The National Trust (Enterprises) Limited, National Trust (Renewable Energy) Limited and Historic House Hotels Limited. The profits from these companies are re-invested in our conservation work.
of our subsidary companies
£62.6 million* in costs of trading
Providing the specialist conservation skills and expertise that our places need to secure their long-term condition.
and advisory services
£65.3 million* in internal conservation
We spent £5 million on Investment Management fees. The Trust’s investments are a vitally important component of the long-term funding of our properties. Fundraising costs of £7.8 million include the costs associated with our total fundraising income of c.£123 million. *Costs include allocated support services costs.
in other costs
£12.8 million*
The money we raised
The money we spent
We protect and preserve
Coast and countryside
Click on the arrows to read more
April First News and the National Trust call on the Government to enshrine in law their ambition to ensure everyone has access to green or blue space within a 15-minute walk.
May Borrowdale rainforest becomes part of the King’s Series of National Nature Reserves.
4
June Stowe Gardens announced as the host location for the British D-Day 80 memorial exhibition, For Your Tomorrow – the People’s Tribute by Dan Barton.
5
July Archaeologists restore Uffington’s Bronze Age White Horse.
6
August Millions enjoy a Summer of Play across Trust properties.
7
September First chick fledged to pair of cranes that nested at Wicken Fen in 2019.
8
October Blue plaque commemorating poet and activist Benjamin Zephaniah, co-sponsored by the Trust, unveiled in his home city of Birmingham.
9
November Sycamore Gap Trees of Hope plans announced with 49 saplings to be gifted across the UK.
December Plans announced for the public to be able to access the Tower at Corfe Castle, originally built for the King Henry I for the first time since the English Civil War.
January Director-General Hilary McGrady marks the Trust’s 130th birthday by unveiling the new strategy.
February ‘Between the Covers with Vita: An Exhibition’ announced at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent.
£766.2 million
Total income of
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This was the last year of our 10-year strategy, for everyone, for ever.
Conservation for a sustainable future.
Two priorities underpin every aspect of our work
Climate Action
By 2030 the Trust aims to be net-zero carbon and adapting to all climate impacts.
Everyone Welcome
By 2030 the Trust will better reflect the range of communities it serves.
Welcomed over 233 million people to our pay-for-entry sites.
In the last 10 years we’ve:
©National Trust Images/Sophie Bolesworth
Image above: Visitors walking their dog along the accessible South West coast path at Carenewas at Bedruthan
6/16
We will improve the state of nature in the UK.
We will make sure the places in our care keep evolving how they welcome and inspire people.
We will address unequal access to nature, beauty and history.
We will give people more opportunities to get involved and support our work.
We recognise climate impacts as the biggest risk to our purpose of protecting places of beauty, nature and history for everyone, for ever.
We will champion heritage and nature, powering change through policy and advocacy.
We will be an inclusive, welcoming and sustainable organisation.
Progress against our Key Performance Indicators can be found in the strategic report.
We will make sure our places keep evolving, attracting people and inspiring them.
We will care for places and give them a sustainable future.
The six core themes of the strategy were:
Become more inclusive, e.g. opening the first accessible beach at Portstewart Strand, honouring LGBTQ+ heritage through our Prejudice and Pride programme, and celebrating Holi with 3,000 visitors at the Rang Barse Colours Over Corfe Castle event.
Invested £9 million in improving access for people with disabilities.
Cut our net carbon by 23.5% since 2019–20 and moved towards eliminating single-use plastics.
Exceeded our target to create and restore more than 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres) of priority habitat.
Supported Open Heritage Days involving 48,000 events and granting free access to places for millions of people.
Made 237 acquisitions equating to 5,549 hectares (13,711 acres) of land and acquired £25 million worth of collection items for the benefit of the nation.
Raised over £28 million from book sales.
Invested over £10 million in building products, tools, infrastructure, and guidance for outdoor experiences for our visitors.
1.4 million new members have supported us.
In addition:
1.8 million people have chosen to take a break at our holiday locations.
People and Nature thriving: our 2025–2035 strategy
We launched our strategy in January 2025, to guide our work to 2035 and toward three bold goals for 2050.
Restore Nature
We aim to help reverse the UK’s severe nature loss.
By 2035
We’ll create 250,000 hectares (617,763 acres) of nature-rich landscapes, restore peatlands, clean rivers, and support climate-positive land use.
At least 30% of UK land should be well managed for nature.
By 2050
Everyone should benefit from high-quality places that foster belonging and cultural appreciation.
We’ll increase access to natural and heritage-rich places near where people live and ensure more inclusive, meaningful experiences.
We’re committed to ensuring everyone can enjoy nature, beauty, and history.
End Unequal Access
To succeed, we’ll evolve how we work, grow our skills and funding, and ensure every decision delivers public benefit ─ honouring our founding vision for all.
We’ll work with communities, businesses, and governments to drive UK-wide change.
We’ll engage millions more people ─ especially young people ─ to care for nature and heritage.
Inspire Action
You can read more about our new strategy on the National Trust website
Click and hold to drag horizontally
At least half the population will actively care about nature.
Explore this section
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Image above: Conservators cleaning the state bed in the Marble Hall at Clandon Park, Surrey
7/16
STRATEGIC REPORT
The world is changing fast. Conservation is the thoughtful management of heritage and nature in the face of that change, and so the National Trust’s approach to conservation continues to evolve.
John Orna-Ornstein, Director of Curation and Experiences
Climate change is having a huge impact on landscapes, buildings and even on collections. Conservation costs have risen sharply, meaning we have to be ever more astute in the decisions we make. And it is increasingly important to think about the public benefit that is derived from any conservation work. We are working with many other organisations, from Historic England to the Institute of Conservation, as we care for Trust places and support other organisations in caring for their own heritage and nature. Conservation is closely linked to creativity, so projects like the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Trees of Hope are very much part of our conservation efforts. The support of members and donors is vital to our conservation work.
We are evolving our approach to enhance our impact. The Conservation Management Review (CMR) process puts people at the heart of conservation and helps us take good decisions about where to prioritise work and what approach to take. Collaboratively we look at the unique characteristics of the places in our care. We then prioritise the places most in need, those under threat from challenges (such as climate change), and those with the biggest opportunities to maintain or improve conservation and public benefit. Together, we can define a desired outcome and work out the steps needed to achieve it. We continue to prioritise ‘little and often’ conservation work. We know from experience that maintenance and small-scale work is more efficient than large-scale corrective preservation.
Our approach to conservation
A small wooden box at Bateman’s, East Sussex that belonged to Rudyard Kipling was discovered to be a rare handmade South American casket. The box was made using the Barniz de Pasto technique by indigenous people of South America, using coloured resin from the mopa mopa shrub. The craft is still practised in Colombia but is on UNESCO’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding’.
‘Old Spanish wood casket’
The Trees of Hope project honours the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree through 49 saplings, one for each foot of the tree’s height, given to projects across the UK as symbols of hope and healing. We received nearly 500 applications from communities nationwide. Currently nurtured at our Plant Conservation Centre, the saplings will be ready for planting in winter 2025–26. Each will be placed in a publicly accessible space, allowing more people to connect with the tree’s legacy. Recipients include the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds, Holly’s Hope with Hexham Abbey in Northumberland, and The Tree Sanctuary and Tree Amigos in Coventry.
Trees of Hope
Dr Megan Wheeler, National Trust Curator
After learning that the V&A was researching Barniz de Pasto, we examined our own collection and identified this remarkable piece. These objects are often miscatalogued—our earliest record described it as an ‘old Spanish wood casket’.
The casket was studied and cleaned, with support from V&A experts.
Clandon Park’s early 18th-century embroidered State Bed is a rare example of elite craftsmanship, originally commissioned by the Onslow family to impress royal visitors. The bed survived the 2015 fire in fragmented condition. While the curtains were saved and remain in good condition, the rest of the bed was contaminated by toxic lead from the melted roof. This year, staff and volunteers began a complex, multi-phase conservation project. High lead levels prompted strict health and safety protocols. After extensive research, we found a cleaning method to successfully reduce the lead in the upper valances and improve their appearance. Many textiles were fragile and required stitched support, relining and reattachment of trimmings. Decorative scrolls were reconstructed with handmade paper and aluminium wire, then re-adorned with original silk. Conservation work has now begun on the three-metre carved headboard and its silk embellishments.
Rising from the ashes
After 300 hours of careful restoration, Beatrix Potter’s dolls house is back on display at Hilltop in the Lake District. The tiny items inside the house, such as furniture, cutlery and plaster food inspired the illustrations in Potter’s book, ‘The Tale of Two Bad Mice’. The house has personal connections to Potter’s relationship with Norman Warne, her publisher, to whom she was engaged but who died before they married. He supplied Potter with the dolls, the toy food, and photographs of the dollhouse to fire her imagination. Textile Conservation Studio experts restored miniature furniture, a woollen rug and a baby dressed in lace, while specialists at the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio repaired carpets and curtains. They worked together on items like wallpaper and lighting.
A tale of two conservation studios
Catherine Nuttgens, Arborcultural Specialist and Trees of Hope panel expert
The loss of any tree can evoke strong emotions — none more so than the Sycamore Gap tree. Its destruction felt utterly senseless, destroying the simple joy it brought to so many.
Ann-Marie Powell, Garden Designer, Journalist and Author
Biodiversity isn’t a luxury, it’s the engine behind everything we consume. When it’s diminished, everything loses out.
We partnered with Ann-Marie Powell Gardens and Blue Diamond Garden Centres to create a show garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024. Designed with wellbeing, biodiversity, sustainability and accessibility in mind, the garden featured 3,600 peat-free, climate-resilient native and non-native plants. It was inspired by one of our founders, Octavia Hill, who championed ‘the healthy gift of air and the joy of plants and flowers’. The garden won a Silver Gilt Medal, the Children’s Choice and the People’s Choice awards. Accessibility was a key focus, with features for those with sensory loss and special access needs. An immersive sound installation by artist Justin Wiggan translated plant electrical impulses into audio. The garden also demonstrated high environmental standards, using reclaimed materials from places we care for, and using low-carbon, carbon-locking building techniques. It provided a valuable learning opportunity for young horticulturists, with several of our apprentices contributing to its construction and planting.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Being an Independent Research Organisation helps the Trust to deliver public benefit. We use research to:
Research update
Generate solutions to complex challenges.
Shape national conversations on the role of historic houses for people and sharing less explored histories.
Bring together academics to help decision-makers interpret the value of outdoor culture and heritage.
Innovate with new techniques.
Research has helped us formulate our new strategy with an evidence-led approach.
We are proud to announce that we have been awarded £621,962 by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to establish a pioneering paint archive. As part of this project, we have welcomed our first in-house conservation scientist, whose expertise in material analysis will be instrumental in shaping the archive. The collection will include microscopic paint cross-sections from our paintings, decorative arts, and architectural elements – ranging from historic interiors to exterior woodwork, fences, and gates. This resource will enable more efficient comparative analysis of materials across time periods and contexts. Work is already underway, and the archive is expected to be available for use by September 2026.
Paint Archive Project
This year also saw the successful completion of our research project, ‘Private’ Spaces for Public Benefit, delivered in partnership with the V&A. The project explored how historic houses can better serve the public by:
‘Private’ Spaces for Public Benefit
Developing innovative methods for storytelling and engagement.
Identifying barriers to interpretation and presentation.
The project delivered wide-reaching impact, including:
Organisational change: fostering a deeper understanding of public purpose and enabling more meaningful narratives.
Volunteer empowerment: through international collaboration and training, volunteers gained confidence to share complex histories.
Sector engagement: contributing to national conversations on interpretation in heritage spaces.
Practical enhancements: such as the introduction of seating to encourage reflection and longer visitor engagement.
Universities in collaboration with us
51
PhD students co-supervised with us
44
Staff attended our research development training
242
We will continue with our Discovery Houses programme, focusing on collections and re-presentation at some of the most iconic places we care for, to create outstanding ‘must-visit’ cultural destinations for audiences. We will build evidence for delivering public benefit, working with the University of Derby on our project ‘Heritage Connectedness’. This will look at connecting people to heritage to understand how this links to pro-conservation behaviours.
Looking forward
Featured in all but one of Hidden Treasures of the National Trust series 3
Public tours over-subscribed
Corfe Castle, Dorset, was once one of the most formidable castles in England and an architectural masterpiece. It was destroyed in the English Civil War (1642–51). The ruins left behind are now at risk from erosion, weathering, vegetation growth and climate change. The largest conservation project ever undertaken by the Trust at the castle is underway and will include stonework conservation, soft capping (using vegetation to protect the masonry), replacing loose stones, vegetation removal and plaster conservation. This work and improvements to visitor routes means that we’ll be able to continue to welcome the 250,000 people that visit Corfe every year.
Caring for Corfe Castle
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visitors to the studio
14,038
Royal Oak Foundation Studio
highest number of visits on one day (A Monet picture from Chartwell was being cleaned)
253
conservator hours
6,565
hours of experience for emerging conservators
4,500
volunteer hours
2,040
number of objects conserved
196
student visits
23
weeks of student placements
9,376
Textile Conservation Studio
We’ve restored and created habitats, delivered biodiversity gains and carbon reduction initiatives through engagement with tenants, reduced livestock numbers and restored peatland. Even though we’ve not yet reached all our ambitions, we’ve delivered multiple projects which have brought nature back.
Harry Bowell, Director of Land and Nature
This year we’ve made fantastic progress towards our nature and climate ambitions. Our work has made landscapes more resilient; locking in carbon and making them more nature-friendly. We look forward to building upon our achievements and scaling up our ambition to continue to reverse the effects of the climate and nature crises.
Although this KPI was suspended in 2021–22, when we stopped using the Conservation Performance Indicator (CPI), work has continued in this area. We have addressed pressures on SSSIs, prioritised freshwater sites for action, and assessed conditions with partners across the UK. Biological surveys have covered key SSSI sites and 70% of Trust geo-diverse features in England, while work in Wales and Northern Ireland has focused on improving condition data and targeting conservation efforts. As our 10-year strategy neared completion, nature conservation advisers across the UK led a review of the condition of key nature and wildlife features previously monitored under CPI, including nationally and internationally designated sites, areas of Priority Habitat and rare or protected species. Assessments were carried out for each feature focusing on three questions:
50% of the designated wildlife sites that we look after to be in good ecological condition by 2025
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Performance
At the end of the year the number of sites with minimum standard failures stood at 53 (2023–24: 47). We’re making changes to land management systems, so that old infrastructure – such as inadequate slurry stores – can be decommissioned and we will continue to work towards reducing this figure.
Maintain healthy soils, water and wildlife so that by 2025 all land reaches a basic minimum standard
Have there been any negative impacts?
What other positive interventions have been implemented?
Which previously identified actions have been completed?
The review found that 59.4% of the most significant nature features are now in good condition – an increase from 42.2% in 2019–20. While the change in methodology means this improvement isn’t directly comparable, it does suggest a positive trend. These important sites will remain central to our new strategic goal to restore nature, supporting international targets such as 30x302. As we develop a more robust set of nature metrics, we aim to adopt methods that allow for increased independent validation.
setting up standard agreements for buying and contracting and
supporting farmers to integrate trees into their businesses,
acquiring land suitable for tree planting,
In 2025 we’ve more than doubled our annual rate with more than 1.3 million trees planted. We know we have a long way to go but remain confident that we will reach the target. A major challenge has been the economic environment, availability of trees and the cost of resources. To accelerate delivery, we’re:
Our commitment to plant and establish 20 million trees by 2030
have been established.
3.4 million trees
Our pledge will help to create more carbon-rich and nature-friendly landscapes. Since 2020,
building our delivery partnerships.
2 30x30 is a conservation initiative that aims to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and ocean areas by the year 2030.
Thanks to our partnership with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and funding from the Great Western Community Forest, we’ve acquired 31 hectares (77 acres) of farmland and planted 12,000 trees, hedges, and infrastructure. Our goal is to create a model for integrating trees into productive landscapes, using nature-based solutions such as agroforestry and species-rich habitats to boost biodiversity, sequester carbon, and support regenerative farming. We aim to open new markets for environmental services and establish a centre for learning and collaboration – bringing together farmers, land managers, communities, volunteers, and environmental NGOs.
Great Chalfield, Wiltshire: Transforming farmland into a thriving hub for nature recovery and regenerative farming
The North Devon coast faces ecological pressures, including poor water quality and growing flood and drought risks. We’re working with volunteers to restore freshwater habitats using low-cost, nature-based methods such as woody debris dams. These mimic beaver dams, slowing water flow, improving quality, and creating habitats. Early results show thriving wildlife, including grey wagtails and diverse insects.
Restoring freshwater habitats for nature, people and climate resilience
Riverlands Volunteer, Arlington Estate
In the coming years, it will be fascinating and rewarding to watch as nature flourishes in a rejuvenated landscape.
Over the next 10 years we’ll build upon our success and scale up our ambitions to address the impacts of the climate and nature crisis. We will work collaboratively with landowners, environmental organisations, utilities and government to help meet national nature targets. By deepening partnerships and broadening our impact, we aim to create resilient, thriving landscapes that benefit both people and wildlife.
Image above: Newly acquired farmland at Great Chalfield Wiltshire
We’ve created and restored 32,200 hectares (79,568 acres) of our most important wildlife habitats, 7,200 hectares (17,792 acres) above target for 2025. Our focus will remain on delivering nature-based solutions to make our places more climate resilient, and inspiring greater action. Our aim is to deliver landscape-scale restoration of 250,000 hectares (617,763 acres) alongside our delivery partners by 2035.
Create and restore 25,000 hectares (61,777 acres) of new priority habitat by 2025
47.2% of our land was assessed as good or very good for wildlife in 2025 (45.7%: 2024). While we fell just short of our target, the initiatives planned means we expect to reach 50% in the coming year.
50% of our land to be nature-friendly by 2025, measured using a Land Condition Assessment
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Our focus remains on delivering consistently good experiences to build trust with visitors, strengthening their connection with us and encouraging repeat visits. We are supporting teams to be audience-led and create relevant, welcoming and inclusive experiences that deliver more benefit to more people. Our investment in the core, year-round offer as well as programming is not just about driving numbers, it’s about creating meaningful moments that bring people back.
Visitor figures rose by more than 2% this year as we welcomed 25.9 million people exceeding our target of 25.8 million. Strong engagement with our seasonal events brought peaks in March, August and December. We spread our programming at these times over weeks rather than days, to reduce risk. Visitor Satisfaction scores improved by 3% year-on-year from 66% to 69%, with experiences, including play, walks and trails, performing particularly well. Some places struggled over winter when presented with challenges from high footfall combined with stormy conditions. We improved accessibility with a 20% increase in pay-for-entry sites meeting our Bronze Access Standards.4
4 These standards have been developed to help our places work through improvements to the visitor experience for disabled people but will also benefit many other visitors. All the standards connect to our requirement to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 in England and Wales, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland.
Overall visitor numbers increased by 6% compared to budget, with paying visitors up 9% and member visits slightly below budget. Our larger scale offers performed well with a 27% increase in paying visitors. Visitor satisfaction averaged 71%.
to pay-for-entry places over six weeks.
4.3 million visitors
181 places took part, welcoming
Summer of Play
This year we focused on meeting families’ basic visit needs and offering engaging, diverse programmes to encourage repeat visits.
Visitor to Hardwick Hall
I visited with a 4-year-old. The summer of play activities were amazing. We arrived at 10am and didn’t leave until 3.30pm and had not done everything.
Maxine, Sheffield Environmental Movement, Pathway participant
The more people have access to the outdoors and can enjoy this wonderful natural environment that we have on our doorstep, the more people will care about it. If we don't consider ourselves custodians of this beautiful world, then we are losing a very rich and diverse environment that we’re all part of. Our air comes from the trees – if there are no trees, there’s no us. It’s as simple as that!
Despite making up 15% of England and Wales’s population, people of colour represented only 1% of National Park visitors in 2019.5 The Walk Together Pathway aims to increase access to the outdoors by training 100 people of colour to become qualified walk leaders over three years, helping them overcome challenges such as high costs, low representation or limited course information. 49 participants have completed the first stage of their training with a further 51 participants taking part in early 2025. The project will increase inclusivity in outdoor spaces and benefit an estimated 10,000 people.
Walk Together Pathway
5 Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) 2019 Is the countryside the reserve of the privileged? - Discover Wildlife
As part of Heritage Open Days, this programme brings together local festival organisers to work with young adults. This year, almost 100 young people co-created events attracting over 2,200 visitors. Participants gained heritage-sector experience, with 85% saying that they felt more informed, with many considering careers in the field. Organisers praised the creativity of the programme, which featured unique events such as after-hours access at Tyntesfield and adult-only tours at the Roman Baths. The focus in 2025 will be on fundraising and expanding youth involvement.
New Wave training programme
Heritage Open Days (6–15 September 2024), organised by the National Trust and supported by the People’s Postcode Lottery, marked its 30th anniversary. Since it began, over 5,400 events – involving 2,354 organisers and 41,700 volunteers – have attracted more than 39 million visits. The festival promotes free access and community-led initiatives. This year 35% of people visiting were from lower economic and social backgrounds and 22% hadn’t visited heritage sites in the past year. 82% of visitors reported increased pride in their area. The programme contributed £11.5 million to the local economy through secondary spending. We created an online Anniversary Gallery with 30 stories chosen by more than 3,000 people. Click below to visit the Anniversary Gallery.
Heritage Open Days 30th anniversary
Visit the Anniversary Gallery
Emily Ghassonpour, Senior Volunteering & Communities Officer
Since 2023, I’ve worked beyond East Riddlesden Hall to connect with communities not engaging with the site. With over 20 years in community development, I knew trust and listening were key. One connection was with Harkishan Mistry, Secretary of Bradford Hindu Council, who welcomed me to the Anand Milan Elderly Centre. Over shared meals and conversations, the idea of a Diwali celebration at the Hall emerged. Together with Harkishan and other Hindu Council members, we created East Riddlesden’s first Diwali Festival of Lights, inspired by Kedleston Hall’s celebrations in 2023. It was a joyful, two-week celebration filled with music, food, crafts, and community-made decorations. We welcomed hundreds of new visitors. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many saying, “You opened a new door for us.” It was a beautiful beginning to a more inclusive future at the Hall.
We will continue to create experiences that connect people with heritage, art, culture, and each other – offering fun, inspiration, learning, and a sense of belonging. In the coming year we will be:
growing our Summer of Play activities, from den building to crazy golf.
touring Helios, a major sun sculpture artwork by Luke Jerram.
expanding support for community events like Pride, Diwali and Heritage Open Days.
©National Trust Images/Chris Lacey
Image above: Heritage Day at Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire
Diwali at East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire
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©National Trust Images/Trevor Ray Hart
Image above: Community Blossom planting at Spark Green Park in Birmingham
10/16
Building on the experience of Nature Neighbourhoods and the Future Park Accelerator programmes we will be officially launching Nature Towns and Cities with our partners Natural England and NHLF, aimed at enhancing access to green spaces in urban areas. We will continue developing green corridors, with work commencing at Charterhouse, Coventry as we move towards achieving our target of 20 corridors by 2030.
Work continues at 15 green corridor sites that connect people living in city centres to nature and green spaces. These corridors are designed to be places where people and nature can thrive. Our 16th green corridor will be established at Charterhouse, a historic house and country park in the heart of Coventry, in partnership with the John Muir Trust, Coventry City Council and Historic Coventry Trust. It will connect residents in the city centre with over 25 hectares (61 acres) of green space at the edge of the city. In February 2025, planning approval was secured for a walking route on a green corridor, connecting Belfast to its largest urban green space at Divis and the Black Mountain – offering a safe alternative to the hazardous road for walkers and cyclists. This forms part of a wider project involving the community to foster a thriving, nature-rich landscape. For example, a neurodiverse group from the Yeha Creative Youth Project co-designed a stained-glass window reflecting their connection to the land, to be installed in a new Divis exhibition space. At Saltram House, Devon, we are expanding the countryside park, bringing 32 hectares (79 acres) back into our care. This will form part of our Plymouth green corridor and will include 4 km (2½ miles) of new multi-use trails.
Green corridors
Sky Garden Competition Participant
Over the last couple of years my mental health has took a turn for the worse. This challenge was my escape from a dark place.
In spring 2024 we launched the National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge in Manchester to explore how residents in city-centre apartments could create balcony gardens to get closer to nature. Participants received starter kits, access to free workshops and social events designed to foster a growing community. More than 100 participants across five selected neighbourhoods took part. Those shortlisted attended a garden party and prize-giving at Castlefield Viaduct. Due to its success, a Manchester-wide competition was launched in 2025.
Gardens in the Sky
Paul Forecast, Interim Director of Access and Urban
I am really proud of the work we have done in urban places in the last ten years. Through innovation and trial our work has demonstrated the positive impact that nature, history and beauty can have in enriching the lives of people living in towns and cities. This transformative work is now an integral part of our new strategy, where our urban initiatives will lead the powerful movement to end unequal access once and for all!
This year we’ve deepened our partnerships and delivered a wide array of transformative projects across towns and cities. Our work in urban places has not only expanded in scale but also matured in depth – strengthening our organisational capabilities, amplifying our positive impact, and raising our profile. This final year of our strategy has laid a strong foundation for the future – one that enables us to scale our investment and broaden our impact even further.
In northwest Belfast, we’re supporting the Ligoniel Improvement Association to create a future vision for Ligoniel Dams, once central to Belfast’s linen industry and now home to lots of nature.
In Manchester, Easy Come, Easy Grow has been established for residents to create and care for a new community garden.
With the help of our funders, we have provided a £25,000 grant and training and advice for each organisation, with 360 people receiving training and more than 450,000 people benefitting.
across the UK to work with local communities and create action plans for nature.
18 neighbourhoods
This is a partnership with RSPB and WWF, supported by Co-op and National Lottery Community Fund. We are supporting organisations in
Nature Neighbourhoods
In Maindee, Newport, residents are working with RHS Malvern to transform a prominent, run-down site into a garden where people and nature can thrive.
In London we produced a blossom pop-up at 109 Fleet Street, opened with a reading by poet laureate Simon Armitage. Eight partners took over the space, inviting communities to engage with blossom in creative ways, which included clay, poetry and zine making.
At Plymouth in Devon, our Green Communities Team in partnership with the City Council is embedded in deprived neighbourhoods, breaking down barriers to nature. By building trust and working directly with local people and groups, the team helps new audiences connect with nature in ways that matter to them – growing skills, developing community ties, and taking action for local places.
With Birmingham City Council and local communities in east Birmingham we created four pocket parks, transforming small parcels of underutilised land into green spaces, cared for and enjoyed by local people.
We’re working with partners to bring nature, beauty and history to more spaces, beyond the borders of the places we care for.
Other developments
The team have supported 289 events and engaged with over 3,000 people. 60% were new attendees and 40% were under 25.
We installed two blossom gardens in collaboration with Transport for London (TfL) at Highbury & Islington tube and Hounslow bus station, which are now permanent features for everyone to enjoy.
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Image above: Staff member talking with visitors outside the reception area at Great Langdale campsite, Cumbria
11/16
We were delighted to see membership’s growing appeal for young supporters, with 40,200 new Young Person members (18–25 years old) joining. 39% up on 2023–24. Despite this, at the end of 2024–25 our membership base dropped marginally by 0.4% to 2.61 million memberships. Correspondingly the number of individual members also fell slightly by 0.7% to 5.35 million. Having reviewed our own costs in this challenging economic climate, we raised membership fees by an average of 69p per month. This allowed us to continue caring for our historic sites, green spaces and collections, ensuring they remain available for everyone to enjoy. This year we’ve responded to member feedback and reduced waste by offering members paperless options for the Handbook and Magazine. As of February 2025, 7.5% of members have chosen to go paperless, resulting in savings that can be spent on conservation.
(2023–24: 398,000), reflecting the ongoing appeal of our places. Membership retention saw a positive increase to 83.3% (2023–24: 81.7%).
403,000 new members
We proudly welcomed
Membership
Sharon Pickford, Director of Support and Revenue
At the heart of everything we do are the people who care—our members, donors and volunteers. Whether times are smooth or stormy, your support has been our steady anchor. It’s your kindness, your time, and your belief in what we stand for that keep the National Trust moving forward. Together, we’re not just looking after beautiful places, incredible landscapes and precious, historic collections, we’re making sure they’ll be here to inspire and bring joy for generations to come. And that’s something truly powerful. Thank you for your unwavering support.
Jocelyn, member, August 2024
We’ve been members for over a decade and have always loved our experiences. Every site we’ve been to has been well looked after, staffed by friendly people, and had a lot going on. I’m always especially impressed at the accessibility. My dad is disabled and has dementia, but has been able to thoroughly enjoy the sites we've taken him to. Staff have always been kind and patient with him, and the scooter/wheelchair hire at many sites are a lifesaver. Thanks for all the memories, National Trust!
Our scones are much-loved. Income from scones was £5.1 million in 2024–25, up 12.6% on last year. Lining them up they would reach from London to Leeds! We introduced a ‘Scone of the Month’, which added interest for scone fans in cafés and online. We use it to celebrate seasonal food, and where possible we use ingredients from our gardens. The best-selling scone of the month was Blueberry and Oat.
Our scones
We run cafés, shops, holiday cottages and campsites, alongside brand licensing and film and location activity to generate income, improve visitor experience and engage with new audiences.
up 6.2% on 2023–24, with a strong focus on cost management.
£180.7 million
This year we generated an income of
Commercial
Our food and beverage business generated £114.8 million. We introduced easy-grip cutlery and installed accessible counters in some locations. Working with Olleco, we saved 550 tons of food waste from landfill and won the International Green Apple Environment award for Waste Management. Our shops (including online) generated £43.4 million. We focused on selling ethical and sustainably-sourced products such as The Random Rug, a consistent best seller, which is woven in Yorkshire and expertly finished in Wales using yarn off cuts which would otherwise end up in landfill. Our holiday cottages and campsites generated £22.5 million. Our guest satisfaction score reached 94% and we won the Gold Feefo award for exceptional service levels as well as the Which? Recommended UK Holiday Cottages Provider for the 6th year in a row. Brand licensing generated £2.2 million with 24 new collections launched including a tableware collection with Habitat and an outdoor clothing range with Craghoppers. Our film and locations businesses generated £3.1 million with locations such as Great Chalfield Manor, Horton Court and Montacute House in Wolf Hall season 2.
meaning we can achieve more than we could ever do alone.
This year we raised an incredible
We’re extremely grateful for the generosity of individual donors, charitable trusts, grant funders, corporate partners and those who left us a gift in their will.
Fundraising at our places totalled £5.2 million, including £3.4 million raised from our second-hand bookshops.
Fundraising
We raised £62.8 million from legacy donations.
£10.9 million was given by generous philanthropists.
Significant gifts came from the Garfield Weston Foundation, The Hopper Trust, The Wolfson Foundation, Mr Andrew Fletcher for the Bath Assembly Rooms, and for Stowe from two donors who wish to remain anonymous.
A £5 million grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation is funding a three-year project called ‘Turning the Tide for Nature’ to deliver large-scale nature conservation at Wallington, Northumberland, the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District and Arlington in North Devon.
Ben McCarthy, Head of Nature and Restoration Ecology, National Trust
As Europe’s largest conservation charity, we have the responsibility to think big and take bold action for nature and the climate across the land in our care. With support from funders like the Garfield Weston Foundation, we will create bigger, better and more joined-up habitats rich in wildlife.
Encourage more children and young people to spend time outdoors through our Summer of Play programme.
Pilot an Assistant Ranger Apprentice programme in collaboration with the King’s Trust.
Support community groups to encourage their members to walk in nature e.g. Muslim Hikers, The Mason Foundation.
Support the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees.
Our partners, HSBC UK, Starling Bank, Octopus Energy, Cotswold Outdoor, Forthglade, Utility Warehouse, CEWE, M&S Food, STIHL, Barbour and Sky have helped us:
Corporate Partnerships
National Highways at Winchelsea, East Sussex: a £2.3 million grant supported a transformative landscape and habitat enhancement programme, boosting biodiversity around the historic coastal settlement.
Uppark Park MEND (Arts Council England): a grant of £1.9 million meant that essential building repairs and infrastructure upgrades, could be carried out at Uppark, West Sussex.
Defra’s Trees for Climate funding: over £5.8 million awarded to support woodland creation across 11 properties, in partnership with the Community Forest Trust.
This remarkable growth reflects the strength of our strategic partnerships and the compelling case for support across our programmes. Grants included:
Grants
These contributions have played a vital role in advancing our mission and delivering meaningful outcomes for communities, heritage and the environment.
Community engagement was a key focus, with events and workshops and the creation of a Volunteer Habitat Monitoring team playing vital roles in connecting people with the site's heritage and biodiversity. Immersive audio walking tours were produced with community input featuring insights from artists, archaeologists, historians, and nature experts. This gave visitors the opportunity to learn more about the site and the stories behind a series of art installations such as ‘Writ in Water’ by Mark Wallinger, a reflective space inspired by democracy and freedom. 95% of surveyed visitors in 2024 agreed that “Runnymede Explored” has enhanced public appreciation of this historic site, with 99% saying that they felt welcome in the space.
Launched in 2020 with a £1.6 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this five-year project transformed the historic Runnymede and Ankerwycke estates in Surrey into an accessible, engaging, and nature-rich destination. Runnymede, where the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215, is a site of profound historical importance, influencing global principles of liberty and democracy. The project improved accessibility with new footpaths and trails, including an upgraded towpath along the River Thames.
Runnymede Explored
We’re focusing our plans and activities on welcoming even more people to the places we care for, creating programs like Summer of Play that will make you want to come back again and again. We're working on making it easier for you to connect with us, like introducing digital membership cards and offering more ways to pay in our car parks. Plus, we're finding new ways for you to become involved with the Trust, no matter where you live.
As a charity, fundraising is essential to the Trust’s ability to meet our charitable purpose and deliver public benefit. We are committed to a transparent and fair approach to all our fundraising activity. We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator and abide by the Code of Fundraising Practice and the Fundraising Promise. We are also organisational members of the Institute of Fundraising. In 2024, we created a new role, Fundraising Compliance Manager, to help drive continuously high standards and practices as we grow our fundraising activity.
Our Fundraising Commitment
In terms of the fundraising activity, we carry out:
Send appeal letters, including raffle marketing, and other fundraising or stewardship communications to selected supporters who have opted in to marketing.
Engage in fundraising activity at properties, through mechanisms such as Donate Online, Text-to-Give and Tap-to-Give and promote the importance of gifts in wills to our work.
Encourage and invest in ways for supporters to fundraise in aid of our conservation work and research.
Conduct research into prospective donors and funders, to help us understand how they may wish or be able to support the Trust in the future.
Work with a number of corporate partners and commercial participators whose brand and values align with our own.
Seek philanthropic support from major donors, trusts and foundations and from corporate donors.
Invite donations via our website, other third-party giving platforms and collection boxes.
And
Invite donations, or include fundraising messaging, at selected and relevant events where the Trust may have a wider presence.
Acknowledge and send thank-you communications for any donations or pledged legacies that are gifted to us.
Click on the tabs above to switch sections, and the numbers on the bottom right to read more
Sell or pass on supporter or customer details to any other organisation or buy lists of donors who might have pledged or given to other charities.
Use external agencies to fundraise on our behalf.
Engage in street, door-to-door or private-site fundraising (e.g. in shopping centres or similar).
Make unsolicited calls to supporters asking for donations.
Nor do we
We do
We do not
We uphold the standards of the Fundraising Regulator, endeavouring to ensure our fundraising activity never feels unreasonably intrusive or persistent, but instead focuses on the positive impact of support. We provide regular, mandatory compliance training to all fundraising staff, providing guidance on how we can interact and communicate with all supporters in a compliant and appropriate manner, whilst also recognising that we are a charity reliant on donations and other fundraised income. When communicating with supporters, we adhere to the UK General Data Protection Regulation 2018. All supporters who share their details with us are shown a privacy policy, clearly stating how we will use and retain their data. Supporters are informed how they can change the ways we communicate with them, and we respect the wishes of supporters who do not wish to receive fundraising communications, including those who have registered with the Fundraising Preference Service. Our equitable approach to fundraising is reflected in the low number of fundraising complaints that we receive (8 in 2024). We strive to handle complaints promptly and effectively, and we welcome feedback from supporters about how we can improve our fundraising practice in future.
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was raised through corporate partnerships.
£4.6 million
A record-breaking
in grant income, an increase of over 60% year-on-year.
£43.9 million
This year we secured
Adrian Phillips, Hardwicke Rawnsley Patron
I love the way the Trust has cared for the best of our past, but I am even more enthusiastic about what it is trying to do to create a better future.
a Winter Reception at the Science Museum.
a Summer Reception at Fenton House, London and
the 125th anniversary of Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire,
the Octavia Hill Lecture with Professor Mary Beard,
Our Patrons community, a group of dedicated annual supporters, has grown to over 90 members. Funding from our Patrons drives projects of all sizes.
Our Patrons
To show our appreciation and raise further awareness of our work we hosted 37 events for supporters, corporate partners, donors and members of the public. Events included:
A generous gift in will from Mr. Ian Reddihough has brought a new Mediterranean garden to life at Beningbrough Hall in North Yorkshire. Designed by award-winning landscape architect Andy Sturgeon, the garden opened in August 2024 and reflects Reddihough’s love for the estate and his desire for its sustainable future. Once an underused lawn, the space now flourishes with over 4,000 drought-tolerant plants from Mediterranean climates. Inspired by the Hall’s Italian baroque style, the garden is built for climate resilience and biodiversity ─ with 3,500 plants supporting pollinators. Reddihough’s gift continues to fund development at Beningbrough, advancing the estate’s vision for a forward-thinking, ecologically mindful garden. It stands not only as a beautiful, living legacy but also as a source of inspiration for visitors looking to future-proof their own gardens.
A Living Legacy at Beningbrough Hall
Image above: Families enjoying a ranger-led bird box building activity at the Moorland Discovery Centre at Longshaw
12/16
Our people value the wellbeing support we offer, and this year we’ve extended it further. The number of Mental Health First Aiders has grown to more than 230 and we’ve created additional support groups such as Nature in Mind to help with climate anxiety and Parent Pod for parents juggling work with parenthood.
Supporting the wellbeing of our people
The challenging economy has required our people to work with agility, responsiveness and with sustainability in mind. We have continued to focus on creating a safe, inclusive work environment, and provided flexible volunteering opportunities.
Tina Lewis, Director of People
As we come to the end of our 10-year strategy, we have much to feel positive about. Despite a challenging external environment, we have continued to invest in our people by providing an above-inflation pay award to support them with cost-of-living challenges. We have also offered training and development programmes and wellbeing support to help them thrive in their roles. I’m pleased that our 2024 People Engagement Survey results show improvement and that our people continue to have high levels of engagement. Our staff and volunteers are our greatest ambassadors. They welcome and share their passion, expertise and love for our cause with our millions of supporters. We’re enormously proud and grateful for what they achieve every single day.
Recognising our volunteers
including 9,000 new recruits, a 7% increase.
2.9 million hours
This year, 42,590 volunteers contributed
Their roles ranged from young rangers to archaeologists, event planners and access support. In January 2025 almost 4,000 volunteers supported the launch of our new strategy. Volunteer experience remains a priority. Our People Engagement survey showed:
feel a sense of fulfilment (2023–24: 96%)
95%
say it boosts their wellbeing (2023–24: 96%)
93%
would recommend volunteering with us
92%
In response to calls for more input, we launched the “Volunteer Voice” project. Over 500 volunteers have already shared their ideas. Thank you to all volunteers for helping us achieve our charitable aims, whether you’ve supported a one-off event or volunteer regularly. We couldn’t achieve what we do without you.
We continue to invest in staff and volunteer development, delivering 15,636 training days and expanding access through online learning. Survey results show improved capability and high satisfaction with training.
Developing the skills of our people and growing our future talent
Over 200 apprenticeships hosted, covering skills from conservation to IT and hospitality.
1,800 leaders completed inclusive recruitment training.
Nearly 1,000 new line managers trained through our Great People Management programme.
As part of our 130th anniversary, we aim to recruit 130 more young apprentices over the next three years, focusing on those who may not have considered a career with us.
We made further progress towards being a more inclusive and welcoming charity. Following up on publishing our first Inclusion and Diversity Progress Report, we participated in the 2025 Racial Action for the Climate Emergency (RACE) Report to help increase racial diversity in the environmental and conservation sector. We invested more than £2.4 million to improve physical access for disabled visitors at sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In partnership with the Young Trustees Movement, we launched what is thought to be the UK’s first Young Trustee Traineeship, giving 15 staff and volunteers the skills for future governance roles.
This has been an incredible opportunity. I met so many amazing people – connections I hope to keep for years to come. The team at the Young Trustees Movement believed in us. Throughout this journey we achieved so much and have grown in ways we never expected. A highlight was our weekend in Newcastle for the AGM, where we were able to meet and connect with each other and with senior leaders, Trustees and even the Chair of the Trust. They were welcoming, kind and made us feel truly valued, showing us just how important the role of a Young Trustee is. Seeing the AGM in action was a powerful reminder of the impact we can have. This programme has been transformative, and I am so grateful for everything I’ve learnt and the incredible people I’ve met along the way.
My Journey as a Young Trustee by Tom Powell, Young Trustee participant and now Trustee of Swannington Heritage Trust
We have refreshed our safeguarding instruction, policy and safeguarding code to further strengthen our measures and processes. We’re supporting 350 local designated safeguarding leads to grow their confidence and capability to provide safe spaces for all.
Providing safer places
In April 2024, in agreement with our trade union Prospect, we invested an additional £17 million (6%) in pay to ensure our pay ranges remained competitive, addressed cost-of-living challenges, and rewarded staff for their contribution during the year. The average pay award received by our staff was 6.9%. In response to a rapidly rising National Living Wage, we changed our grade and pay structure to address pay compression challenges in our lowest pay grades. Senior managers’ pay is decided by the Senior Management Remuneration Committee. In April 2024, the Committee awarded the senior management team an average pay award of 4.8%.
Staff Pay and Recognition
Our pay gap reports are available on our website and show results by gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation. As of April 2024, the mean average gender pay gap at the Trust was 7.8% in favour of men. Our gender pay gap has improved on last year and is below the national mean average of 14.7% (Office for National Statistics). Our gender pay gap is caused by the balance of numbers of men and women employed across all levels in our organisation and is not due to unequal pay.
Gender and Diversity pay gaps
Executive Remuneration Actual February 2025
Our new strategy aims to inspire broader public involvement. We're reviewing the skills needed to support this and refreshing our Values – with over 1,000 staff and volunteers already engaged. Externally, we're monitoring the Employment Rights Bill and its implications for us as an employer.
Looking ahead
These results were on par with or exceed other UK organisation results. We ranked 46th out of 500 in the Financial Times UK’s Best Employers survey.
of staff and 87% of volunteers felt actively engaged
83%
of staff would recommend us as a good place to work or volunteer
89%
took part in our annual survey.
25,000 staff and volunteers
Over
2024 People Engagement Survey
In 2024–25, the Director-General Hilary McGrady was paid a basic salary of £227,765. Independent pay benchmark data confirms the Director-General’s salary is fair and appropriate for the responsibilities and scale of the role. Our pay ratio was 1:8.6 and compares favourably to external benchmark data. The pay ratio is the relationship expressed as a multiple between the highest salary and the median salary within the Trust, to ensure salaries remain fair and appropriate.
Director-General remuneration
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©National Trust Images/ Ross Hoddinott
Image above: Highland cattle grazing the National Trust coastline at Cape Cornwall, near St Just, Cornwall
13/16
During a transformative year for UK politics and policy, our advocacy achieved results in several key areas:
Engaging with Defra and Natural England to support England’s first legal wild release of beavers at Purbeck in Dorset, enhancing biodiversity by creating important habitats for nature.
Securing amendments to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, safeguarding our ability to protect special places for future generations.
Protecting vital charitable funds from changes to Gift Aid through the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill.
The National Trust All Party Parliamentary Group, formed in 2022, met throughout the year to discuss key issues, such as local heritage funding, agricultural transition and our new 10-year strategy. The group currently stands at 35 members who work to improve the understanding of and support for our work within Parliament.
Engaging in Westminster
We showed all political parties the strength of public opinion on the need for stronger action to tackle the nature and climate crises. In October we marched with 20,000 other people in the March for Clean Water organised by River Action.
Standing up for nature and climate
in June during the run-up to the general election.
80,000 people
We were proud to take part in the Restore Nature Now demonstration, along with more than
We attended the Groundswell farming conference, an annual event for farmers looking to support regenerative farming, as well as the Royal Welsh Show. Through continued joint working with RSPB and Wildlife Trust, we commissioned and published the ‘Scale of Need’ report which identified that investment in nature-friendly farming needs to increase to £5.9 billion a year across the UK. The current annual agricultural budget is £3.5 billion. The research found that if funding is not increased, the UK won’t meet legally binding nature and climate targets and will miss a huge opportunity to improve the long-term resilience of the UK’s farming industry.
Supporting Sustainable Agriculture
We will actively engage with the government (national and devolved), raising public awareness of legislation and policy reforms that protect nature, beauty, and history. Our upcoming activities will focus on the long-term interests of nature, heritage and people. This will include working in partnership with other nature and heritage organisations on public policy advocacy in support of our new organisational strategy. In 2025, this will involve:
engaging with major planning and infrastructure legislation and reform.
continuing to advocate for adequate investment in nature-friendly farming and policies which accelerate action to restore nature; and
promoting public policy which improves people’s access to nature and heritage.
The Connecting Communities on Climate Change (4C) pilot project empowered five places we care for in South-West England to deliver targeted and authentic local climate engagement and communications. It involved using interpretation panels, workshops and events to grow public support for climate action. 4C built on two years of work to improve our national approach to climate advocacy and engagement and formed a key part of how we’re delivering on the E for engagement in the Climate RACE (see Climate and Environment report).
Advocacy in action
Connecting Communities on Climate Change in the South-West
Through the media, we shared our view on a range of current policy issues, including authoring opinion pieces on improving the state of our rivers, supporting nature-friendly farming and welcoming the Water Special Measures Bill. After a new Executive was appointed in Northern Ireland’s Assembly, we built relationships with Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Ministers and engaged with a range of new policies and draft legislation, including Northern Ireland’s first Environmental Improvement Plan. We facilitated a visit in Northern Ireland by the Committee for Climate Change and responded to its seventh Carbon Budget.
Engaging with the Government in a review to strengthen the Environment Improvement Plan in England.
Engaging ahead of the Government’s expected changes to laws on planning and major infrastructure, which have potential implications for nature and heritage.
Ensuring that agriculture and land-use policy and funding reforms (taking place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) supported farmers in achieving greater outcomes for nature, climate, and heritage.
In this year of political change, we focused on:
The election of a new Government in summer 2024 marked a significant shift in the public policy agenda. Before the election, we called for stronger support for nature and responded publicly to announcements on the need for the Sustainable Land Management Scheme to back nature-friendly farming. After the election, we introduced our work to a large group of new Members of Parliament (MPs) and began to understand more about the Government’s wide-ranging policy, agenda and priorities.
Advocating at a national level
Engaged with 8 Members of the Senedd (MSs) and 6 Government Ministers.
Engaged with 9 MLAs and 8 MPs including 4 Ministers in Northern Ireland.
Hosted more than 40 Members of Parliament at the places we look after.
This year we:
Responded to over 22 England and UK wider Government consultations.
Responded to 12 Government and council consultations in Northern Ireland.
Responded to 7 Welsh Government consultations.
At the annual political party conferences, we participated in debates around these topics.
p.13/16
Image above: Erosion damage caused by heavy rain and flooding at Quarry Bank, Cheshire
14/16
In response we established our Climate Action Programme RACE ─ Reduce, Adapt, Capture, Engage. In it we aim to:
meet net zero by 2030,
make climate-informed resilient decisions, and
raise stakeholder awareness of how climate change is impacting the places we look after, the challenges and solutions.
Climate change is widely acknowledged as a significant global issue. We recognise climate impacts as the biggest risk to our purpose of protecting places of beauty, nature and history for everyone, for ever. In the last two years we’ve experienced record heat, prolonged droughts, flash floods, and stronger storms – clear signs that the impacts are already being felt.
Our Climate and Environmental Management System maintained certification to ISO14001.
Our work to deliver 20 million trees and to create and restore 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres) of priority habitats has increased the amount of carbon we remove and store from the atmosphere, improving our net carbon position.
Key actions this year
p.14/16
We started phase two of our renewables programme, replacing fossil-fuel heating systems with heat pumps or biomass, and installing solar panels to generate on-site electricity and decarbonise the national grid.
We’ve been implementing a Climate Action Organisational Development Plan. Over 1,000 staff have completed our climate e-learning.
More than half of our places have started to map their climate adaptation pathway, identifying specific risks and actions for the short, medium and long term.
We’re making more climate-informed project decisions with all medium and large projects using our Sustainable Design Tool. We’ve also developed a simple life-cycle analysis tool to help design teams understand the carbon impacts of their specifications.
Our overall net emissions have reduced by 31% against baseline, even though our current method for estimating agricultural emissions keeps that category static and doesn’t yet reflect on-the-ground improvements.
We’ve increased our recycling rate to 43% (2024: 34%) in response to the new recycling regulatory regimes, in Wales and England. We’re also recycling all of our food waste from our cafés and kitchens.
7 Scopes 1 and 2 are direct emissions from our operations, actions and assets that we control. Scope 3 are emissions produced indirectly from our operations.
To use our land to capture and store carbon, primarily through establishing new trees and woods, and restoring degraded peatland.
Reduce scope 1-3 emissions in line with a science-based pathway aligned with 1.5ºC7. That means that by 2030 these emissions will be halved against our 2019–20 baseline.
Our net zero target is made up of two actions:
Click below to download and read the full climate and environment report in our PDF version of the Annual Report 2024–25.
The full review can be read in the PDF of the Annual Report by clicking below.
©National Trust Images/Barry Edwards
Image above: A common Chiff Chaff bird sat on a branch
15/16
We are pleased to report a successful year for the charity in financial terms and by continuing to grow our investment in conservation in all areas, from our iconic country houses and gardens to open spaces, the Trust was able to make a significant difference to Nature, Beauty and History with the help of millions of supporters. The year proved though, that making such an impact is getting harder. Costs continue to increase for many, and like other charities and our peers in the conservation sector, we are facing these pressures. The financial margin we are able to generate from our membership, commercial, visitor and let estate businesses, which is so vital in underpinning our project investment, was over 20% prior to the pandemic. Since then, that margin has tightened, and looking forward to 2025–26, further cost pressure is yet to come. As price rises have hit families and households, so minimum wage levels have had to rise. The Trust’s cost base has risen as these changes have been implemented together with increases in material costs for our conservation work. In April 2024, in agreement with Prospect, our trade union, we invested an additional 6% in staff pay to ensure that our pay ranges remained competitive, and that staff were rewarded for their contribution during the year. Challenging external conditions in 2024 have placed pressure on our supporters. While we were encouraged by visitor numbers growing by over 2% (to 25.9 million), solid member retention rates that were higher than comparator organisations, and by a strong year for fundraising (appeal, gifts and grants were at record levels), our annual membership was below our target levels for the year, and the membership base remained at just below 5.4 million supporters. Looking forward, the Trust will need to remain vigilant and to manage its costs carefully, seeking to deliver maximum public benefit from its projects and to support its volunteers and staff to make our places available to as many as possible in our communities. We are immensely grateful for the generous support of so many in 2024–25. The full review can be read in the PDF of the Annual Report by clicking below.
Click below to download and read the full financial review in our PDF version of the Annual Report 2024–25.
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©National Trust Images/Megan Taylor
Image above: Visitors exploring a coastal path at the White Cliffs of Dover
16/16
Octavia Hill, Co-founder of the National Trust
We all want quiet. We all want beauty... We all need space.
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