Looking after special places, for everyone and forever

The National Trust was founded 126 years ago and preserves and cares for 780 miles of coastline, 248,000 hectares of land and over 500 historic houses, castles, gardens and parks. As custodians of hundreds of miles of coast and thousands of acres of countryside, the Trust has both a responsibility to respond to the threats that nature is facing and an opportunity to create positive change on a grand scale.

Vast land ownership means it can restore and revitalise the most important landscapes in its care, create and connect new areas for wildlife to flourish and harness nature to provide solutions to the climate crisis. It’s committed to playing a part in restoring a healthy, beautiful natural environment by thinking and acting long-term, testing innovative new approaches and working in partnership at a landscape scale via programmes to develop sustainable solutions to the crisis facing our environment. Following the Trust’s 125th anniversary in 2020 and the difficult year, it continues to carry on the ambition set out by their founders to care for nature, beauty and history.

Players of People's Postcode Lottery have been supporting the National Trust since 2013, raising over £4 million. It is only with support from people like players that the Trust can continue to care for the miles of coastline, woodlands, countryside and the hundreds of historic buildings, gardens and precious collections that they protect.

In 2021 players supported two vital areas of the National Trust’s work:

1. Blossom Together: working with partners to give communities more access to nature through the creation of green spaces and circles of blossom trees.

"Our vision is for nature, beauty and history for everyone. Our simple ambition with this project is to bring all of these elements together in the creation of green, nature-rich havens in the very heart of urban areas that are also beautiful and inspiring spaces people can use," says Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust.

2. Heritage Open Days: England’s largest festival of history and culture taking place every September, offering free access to over 5,700 events. This year’s festival saw the return of in-person events, with additional online events running across the country.

Additionally, players have made a significant contribution to the temporary urban park that will open in Manchester next summer. The National Trust will transform Castlefield viaduct into an accessible green space for the 50,000 residents living within a twenty-minute walk of the area.