- Unrestricted £10m pledge gives spending freedom.
- Nature recovery and net-zero projects top agenda.
- More wildlife releases and visitor facilities planned
The National Trust has received the largest single donation in its 131-year history, after a £10 million pledge from venture capitalist and philanthropist Humphrey Battcock.
The donation, which is unrestricted, means the charity can decide how the money is spent as it sets out plans for 2026, including further work on nature restoration, progress towards net zero and improvements to visitor facilities across its sites.
Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust, reportedly described the pledge as a “huge boost” as the charity prepares to deliver the next phase of its long-term strategy.
Battcock, who serves on the board of Cambridge Innovation Capital, said he wanted to underline that the donation comes with no conditions attached. He reportedly said that the Trust represents what is best about society and that leaving the money unrestricted reflects his confidence in how the charity will use it.
McGrady said the gift was significant not just for what it would fund, but for the trust shown in allowing the organisation full discretion, as quoted in a news report.
Nature moves centre stage
Nature recovery is expected to remain a central focus in 2026. The Trust plans to continue restoring habitats and rewilding land across its estate, building on its wider ambition to create 250,000 hectares of nature-rich landscape over the next decade.
Support for wildlife is set to expand, with existing populations of white-tailed eagles in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Wight expected to be encouraged to spread further into England and Wales. Following its first beaver release into the wild in England at Purbeck in Dorset, more releases of the semi-aquatic mammals are planned, alongside efforts to increase dormice numbers.
The Trust is also exploring new ways to connect people with wildlife, including live broadcasts of seals, puffins and beavers brought into towns and cities through mobile displays.
Net zero and access
As part of its commitment to reach net zero by 2030, the charity plans further upgrades to its infrastructure. This includes installing solar panels and air-source heat pumps at Stourhead in Wiltshire, and developing a reed-bed scheme to treat wastewater at Clents Hill near Birmingham.
Visitor experience is also set to feature more prominently. The Trust said it would add more seating areas in historic properties such as The Vyne, Hardwick Hall, Lacock Abbey, Upton House and Dyrham Park, giving people more places to pause and reflect.
New play facilities for children are planned at sites including Tyntesfield and Fountains Abbey, alongside a partnership with Disney and Pixar linked to the animated film Hoppers, which places beavers at the heart of its story.
McGrady reportedly said the Trust wants more people to feel they have a place, whether at a National Trust site or in their own communities, adding that access to nature, beauty and history should be a right rather than a privilege.
With 5.3 million members and status as Europe’s largest conservation charity, the Trust appears set to use the donation to accelerate plans it says will shape how people and nature coexist in the years ahead.
