2023 media releases

Local school pupils in Angus will take a starring role in a 2023 arts project at the House of Dun, celebrating the birdlife in the Montrose Basin and the property’s own collections. Starting after the New Year, pupils from local primary schools will take part in a series of bird-themed creative workshops and then display their art and poems in an exhibition at the museum, launching on Earth Day 2023 (22 April 2023).

Twelve original manuscripts written by Robert Burns, which have just come into the care of conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland, will go on display this January as part of a new exhibition entitled Homecoming.

The local community around Newhailes House has come out in force to share its love for the National Trust for Scotland property in a series of artworks that will be displayed at a free exhibition starting in January.

A major conservation project to protect and futureproof the famous pink exterior of Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire against damage from rain and climate change will begin in early 2023.

The National Trust for Scotland President Jackie Bird supported the pilot of a new education programme, Timesliders, that is using time travel to get school pupils excited about the history of the country and its properties.

The scaffolding is going up at Brodick Castle, as the National Trust for Scotland embarks on a major project to protect Arran’s landmark castle for future generations.

Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland has commented today on the latest figures released by the Association for Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) which showed significant increases in visitors to some of its places in 2022.

A legacy fund set up in memory of the 6th Marquess of Bute is supporting the next generation of conservators by preserving heritage and conservation skills at the National Trust for Scotland.

This April, people from across the world will come together with the National Trust for Scotland to mark the 277th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden with a series of events. For those who cannot attend in person, there will be content online as well, including a virtual tour of the battlefield.

Major conservation work at the House of the Binns, near Linlithgow, is approaching completion, with the house reopening to the public once again from Saturday 1 April. It’s the first opportunity to see the property’s interiors and collections since pre-lockdown.

Almost four years on since the opening of the pioneering Box around the Hill House in Helensburgh, conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland is preparing for the next steps needed to protect the house.

As concerns grow about the continuing global spread of avian flu, the National Trust for Scotland is asking the public to join in with its efforts to protect Scotland’s under-threat seabirds.

The National Trust for Scotland has appointed an Unst Project Development Manager to steer the next phase of its Halligarth project over the next 18 months.

The National Trust for Scotland, in partnership with The Glenlivet, is offering members of the public the chance to join an exclusive tour of an archaeological dig taking place near The Glenlivet Distillery in Speyside on 27 and 28 April.

The new Aberdeenshire County flag was revealed at a special dedication ceremony held at the National Trust for Scotland’s Castle Fraser, Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, on Saturday 22 April 2023, with invited guests and a large crowd gathered to witness the historic occasion.

A new ‘gateway to nature’ at one of Britain’s most spectacular gorges and National Nature Reserves in the Scottish Highlands has opened to the public.

A nine-year-old from the West Highlands was so moved by the threat of avian flu to Scotland’s seabirds that she set about raising over £50 to help the National Trust for Scotland protect them.

The National Trust for Scotland is asking visitors to share their thoughts on nostalgic images showcasing the quirkiness of Scottish life in a new exhibition taking place at Pollok House in Glasgow.

The National Trust for Scotland is inspiring change through the 100-year Threave Landscape Restoration Project. Located in the heart of Dumfries & Galloway, the project has seen 81 hectares of land transformed from a disused dairy farm to one which features wildflower meadows, rich wetlands, and growing native woodlands that are buzzing with insect and bird life, including species rarely before seen in the area.

Vital projects undertaken by Scotland’s largest conservation charity at its eight National Nature Reserves (NNR) will benefit from the prior knowledge and experience of staff, who are returning to the National Trust for Scotland for its summer season, with eight seasonal conservation roles supported with funding from the Love Our Nature project by People’s Postcode Lottery.

A new exhibition of Raeburn portraits, at the National Trust for Scotland’s Georgian House in Edinburgh, opens the doors on the painter’s career, his subjects’ experiences of sitting for portraits, and life in Enlightenment Scotland.

The National Trust for Scotland celebrated the start of Volunteers’ Week on Thursday 1 June by welcoming volunteers to Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve to assist with preparation for a new conservation project.

A new sculpture created by Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games sculptor Robert Coia has been installed in the walled garden at the National Trust for Scotland’s Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran.

Building on the success of last season, anticipation for the National Trust for Scotland’s return of the Love Scotland podcast hosted by Jackie Bird is growing and launched on 16 June.

Early conservation findings indicate that action by the National Trust for Scotland is slowing down deterioration of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s design masterpiece, the Hill House.

Record-breaking Scottish cyclist and adventurer Mark Beaumont has shared his favourite days out by bike at National Trust for Scotland’s places alongside a host of cycling-friendly recommendations by the conservation charity to enjoy this summer, and all year round, while riding responsibly to help protect the environment.

Members of the Plant Listing at the National Trust for Scotland (PLANTS) team found the stunning 'Polar Bear' rhododendron in early flower during their surveying of the Drum Castle grounds.

Poetry by the national bard and historic etchings from Scottish artists are being used as inspiration by the National Trust for Scotland to inform future plans for the Burns Monument Garden to capture ‘the spirit of Ayrshire’ as it celebrates the memorial’s 200th anniversary.

Weaver’s Cottage, in Kilbarchan, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, this year celebrates its 300th anniversary, and was recently the subject of a parliamentary motion in the Scottish Parliament.

Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland has confirmed today that the Treshnish Isles have joined the portfolio of special places in its care.

National Trust for Scotland gardeners in Aberdeenshire celebrated the completion of a new Rose Garden at Crathes Castle, after over a decade of planning, reconstruction work and planting. The redesigned garden opens to the conservation charity’s supporters and the public from 23 July.

The National Trust for Scotland is celebrating a double awards win at two of its spectacular properties in the Northwest Highlands, with both Inverewe Garden and Corrieshalloch Gorge picking up Tripadvisor’s prestigious Travellers’ Choice 2023 awards.

The National Trust for Scotland is about to enter the second phase of its ambitious, three-year horticultural project to meticulously document the plants across its 39 gardens.

Dramatic battle re-enactments, swashbuckling pirates and the discovery of ancient artefacts are some of the highlights on offer as the National Trust for Scotland hosts a variety of different history-themed events across the North East this summer and beyond.

Scotland’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland, has been awarded £1,062,000 from Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) Partnership Fund to allow it to conduct vital conservation work across its built heritage properties, while gaining a deeper understanding of the structures and their requirements.

The National Trust for Scotland is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its in-house archaeology team and has highlighted its top 10 archaeological discoveries.

Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland has appointed Dr Cal Major, vet, adventurer and advocate for the oceans and nature, to a new volunteer role of ‘ambassador’.

Residents of Glasgow have been urged to dig out old photographs, wallpaper scraps and receipts to share their memories of interior design of the city’s distinctive tenements to help the National Trust for Scotland develop a new archive of wallpaper designs.

The team at Mar Lodge Estate is celebrating a successful breeding season this year with a record number of birds of prey chicks documented at the National Nature Reserve cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

The National Trust for Scotland, has completed a cliff-nesting seabird census on St Kilda as part of its vital work to help protect Scotland’s National Nature Reserves. The census – the first fully comparable survey of the whole of St Kilda since 1999 – found a 61% decline in cliff nesting seabird species.

As Glencoe National Nature Reserve experiences one of its busiest ever years, the National Trust for Scotland’s ranger team is working hard with visitors and campers to help ensure they don’t damage the natural wonder they have come to enjoy.

A herd of 28 pedigree cattle has joined the National Trust for Scotland team at Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve as part of a trial project to improve the habitats and biodiversity of this important landscape.

Glasgow’s iconic Pollok House will close on 20 November 2023 for approximately two years to facilitate the second phase of a £4m programme of investment led by Glasgow City Council. The works will comprise roof and general building fabric repairs.

A collection of memorabilia of Peter Pan’s first stage shows from the turn of the century have been donated to the National Trust for Scotland to add to the magic of JM Barrie’s Birthplace.

A young man who helped officially open the Culloden Visitor Centre as a schoolboy 15 years ago has made a return, this time as a member of staff.

Make the most of the outdoors this autumn with the National Trust for Scotland and create shared memories to treasure at some of Scotland’s most special places.

A dedicated volunteer who has been involved in supporting the conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland for 50 years was recognised at its Annual General Meeting in Aberdeen.

The National Trust for Scotland team at St Abb’s Head is celebrating a record-breaking number of different species recorded at the National Nature Reserve, that will help them build an accurate account of the biodiversity at this special coastal landscape.

Braving heavy rain and Met Office weather warnings, National Trust for Scotland President Jackie Bird joined the team at Glencoe National Nature Reserve to become a countryside ranger for the day to experience the important work they do to care for this iconic Scottish mountain landscape.

The National Trust for Scotland is celebrating after 22 of the special places in its care received the prestigious TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award 2023.

Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland has painstakingly packed and stored tens of thousands of items from Canna House in the Inner Hebrides, as its project to conserve and repair the 19th-century house and its important collections makes good progress.

The National Trust for Scotland’s popular podcast, Love Scotland returns for a seventh season, sharing the country’s nature, beauty and heritage with listeners from around the world.

Experts from the National Trust for Scotland are working in partnership with the Highland Cinema in Fort William, to deliver a series of talks this winter to raise awareness and support for its work to protect and share the special places in its care.

The National Trust for Scotland has capped off the second phase of its ambitious, three-year project to meticulously document the plants across its 39 major gardens. The conservation charity has made remarkable findings including a rare Rhododendron arboretum subsp. zeylanicum planted before World War One.

Scotland’s largest conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland is celebrating its 1,900-plus volunteers and the work they do to champion Scotland’s heritage.

An expert from the National Trust for Scotland has identified hidden meanings behind the traditional Christmas carol, 12 Days of Christmas, that is thought to have been used to convey religious symbolism during a period of upheaval in the country.

Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland says the nationwide 4G expansion project is having a severely detrimental impact on the landscape in some of Scotland’s most beautiful and remote locations and is calling for a joined-up approach to protect Scotland’s landscapes.

The National Trust for Scotland is taking advantage of new technology and composting processes to improve the sustainability of its gardens, reducing its carbon footprint and electricity usage to meet its carbon negative goal by 2031.

Work is starting on the Glencoe ‘Greenway’, a shared-use path enabling local people and visitors to walk, cycle or wheel into the heart of the glen from the west without having to make a hazardous journey on the narrow verge of the busy A82 trunk road.

The National Trust for Scotland is working with a host of Scottish suppliers to support its work to care for and protect Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage while preserving traditional skills and craftsmanship across the country.

Two rare dragonfly species have been discovered at the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms National Park ahead of the next phase of peatland restoration starting on the nature reserve.

The National Trust for Scotland has received a major gift of £2.4 million from a donor after a visit to Barry Mill, Carnoustie, one of the largest single donations from a living donor in the history of the charity’s 90-plus years.