Partner Article

National Trust hits record 4 million members

The National Trust has grown to over four million members for the first time in it’s history.

That incorporates over 124,000 in the North East, where memberships have also grown exponentially.

Cragside is the largest of the Trust’s North East properties, and general manager, John O’Brien, was pleased with the continued support.

He said: “The National Trust cares for some of the most iconic places in the North East, from grand houses and estates such as Cragside and Wallington in Northumberland, to landscape gardens such as Gibside and Souter Lighthouse on the coast, but we also care for stretches of the Northumberland Coast and parts of Hadrian’s Wall.

“There is so much for people in the North East to explore and enjoy with the National Trust on their doorstep and we’re delighted that members, new and old, continue to support our work and discover great days out with us.”

More than 90 million people visit the National Trust each year, including 17 million visits to houses and gardens, and around 75 million to coast and countryside venues.

Director general at the National Trust, Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, said: “Four million members is a powerful indication that our mission to look after special places for ever, for everyone remains as relevant today as it was 1895.

“It’s encouraging to see that people’s love of places and the simple pleasures they bring remains as strong, if not stronger, in hard economic times as it does in the boom years.”

Membership fees help to look after more than 300 historic houses, 250,000 hectares of land and 700 miles of coastline.

Last year memberships provided the charity with £120m, which was ploughed back into thousands of conservation projects throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dame Fiona added: “We owe a massive thank you to our members. Their support helps fund the vital conservation work that keeps the special places in our care open for everyone to enjoy.

“In England you are never more than 40 minutes away from somewhere looked after by the National Trust.

“From the smallest sculleries and garden grottos to towering castle turrets and the wild expanses of Lake District countryside, the National Trust enables everyone to enjoy these beautiful, intriguing, and exciting places for ever.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .