Throughout the year in the UK and particularly during the warmer weather, many people don their outdoor clothing, gather up their camping equipment and head to the countryside to sleep in the fresh air and explore areas of natural beauty. And a new drive by the National Trust may boost this trend.
It revealed it is to switch its focus to help more people enjoy the outdoors and get closer to nature. Those leading the trust believe it is often narrowly associated with only country houses.The organisation, which was established in 1895 by Victorian philanthropists and aims to protect many areas of woodland, farmland and sites of historical interest and open them up the public, will encourage walking, mountain biking, kayaking, surfing and camping on the land it looks after.
Also, there will be more than a thousand events over the summer aimed at getting children closer to nature. Director-general of the charity Fiona Reynolds said: “For too long it’s felt that outdoor spaces have been the Trust’s best kept secret. We want to play our part in helping to reconnect the nation with outdoor spaces, whether in the Lake District or a local park.”
There are also plans for the National Trust to work with locals around the country to help build 100 miles of new paths. This is part of its plans to create 1,000 miles of new trails by 2020.Outdoors programme manager at the organisation Jo Burgon added: “It’s clear that people simply love being outdoors surrounded by nature and walking is the easiest way to do that.”
The number of people putting on their outdoor clothing and utilising their camping equipment to make trips in the UK may have risen over recent years as consumers try to cut down on their holiday spending by taking so-called ‘staycations’, meaning they remain in Britain, rather than heading abroad.