The National Trust's annual report shows that 50,600 new young members joined between March 2025 and February 2026, a 26% increase from the previous year. The charity notes that Stourhead in Wiltshire, Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, and Attingham Park were the most popular sites visited by young members last year, with Calke Abbey seeing an uptick in visitors due to the release of the Peaky Blinders film. The report highlights a concern that young people are inheriting a declining natural world and warns that the charity must work harder to engage them on their terms. According to Rene Olivieri, chairman of the National Trust, engaging young people is crucial for the future of heritage and nature conservation.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
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Story summary
The National Trust, a conservation charity, has reported a record year with 50,600 new young members joining between March 2025 and February 2026, a 26% increase from the previous year. This brings the total number of young people who have joined in the past two years to over 90,000. The charity's annual report highlights that Stourhead in Wiltshire, Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, and Attingham Park near Shrewsbury were the most popular sites visited by young members last year. A young person's membership costs £4.20 a month, or £50.40 a year, which is half the price of an adult membership. The surge in new memberships has been attributed to growing interest among young people in history and heritage, with some locations experiencing increased visitor numbers due to film releases.
Written for “National Trust Membership Surges” on 2026-09-07,
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No political leaning scored for article 6553 · logged 2026-09-07
National Trust celebrates record year as 50,000 young people become members
In the conservation charity’s annual report, published on Monday, figures show some 50,600 new young members joined between March 2025 and February 2026 – a 26% year-on-year increase.
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members → celebrate → increase
It follows a record number of new young person’s memberships in the previous year, when 40,200 joined the charity.
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40,200 → follow → charity
“The surge in young people joining a conservation charity is good news for nature and good news for heritage,” said Rene Olivieri, chairman of the National Trust.
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Olivieri → join → Trust
“I’m thrilled that so many young people want to be part of this cause.
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people → ’m → cause
A young person’s membership membership costs £4.20 a month, or £50.40 a year – half the price of an adult membership.
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membership → cost → membership
According to the charity’s data, Stourhead in Wiltshire, Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, and Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury, were the three most popular sites visited by young members in the last financial year.
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Stourhead → accord → year
Calke Abbey has seen another uptick in visitors this year, the National Trust said, since the March release of the Peaky Blinders film The Immortal Man – which was shot there.
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which → see → film
The report publication comes ahead of the beginning of the annual Heritage Open Days festival, which gives members of the public an opportunity to sneak behind secret doorways and have one-off tours of popular sites for free.
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which → come → sites
Starting on Friday, the festival continues until September 20 and the National Trust said many of its sites will offer free entry during that period.
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many → start → period
As Mr Olivieri celebrated the boost in numbers of 18 to 25-year-olds joining the charity, he also warned of the declining natural world young people are inheriting.
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people → celebrate → world
“Young people in the UK are inheriting a declining natural world and many are facing diminishing cultural opportunities due to decisions made by generations before them,” said Mr Olivieri.
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Olivieri → inherit → them
“We owe it to them to put that right and make nature and culture part of every young person’s life, whether that’s at the places we care for or outside them.
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we → owe → them
“That’s going to mean working harder to reach young people where they are and engaging them on their terms.
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they → go → terms
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“Heritage Open Days is a good place to start, and I’d encourage everyone, of every age, to get out this weekend and embrace their local buildings, parks, pools, libraries, high streets and museums.”
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I → read → buildings
She said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve seen another big increase in young members.
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we → say → members
It proves that this isn’t a fleeting interest, it’s a growing trend, and it confirms what I hear from young people on social media every day: that they’re excited by history and heritage and they want to get involved.
“This type of participation is so important.
“Because if we can engage young people now and get them to form positive associations with heritage and nature, then they will be more likely to care for these things in future.”
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they → prove → future
