National Trust's whispers of better things

Numerous studies reveal how connection to nature brings real physical and emotional benefits. The Trust’s Marketing Director, Shaherazad Umbreen commented: “Lockdown showed us more clearly than ever the value of nature and its importance for our wellbeing. Spending time outdoors became the one moment people could look forward to in their day, and as restrictions eased, meeting up with friends in nature – in gardens, parks and the open countryside has given many something positive to focus on."

The conservation charity was founded in 1895 – the words of one of its three founders, Octavia Hill, ring as true today as they were back then: “We all want quiet. We all want beauty... We all need space. Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently.” 

Entirely independent of Government, the Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 780 miles of coastline and hundreds of special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

To help mark this significant moment in its history, the Trust has committed to becoming carbon net zero by 2030, planting and establishing 20 million trees to help tackle climate change, creating green corridors for people and nature near towns and cities.