Charity’s ethical land management helps 55,000 people

THE Land Trust charity is fast earning a reputation as one of the UK’s most successful ethical land management organisations.
This was the upbeat message given to trustees and members at the Warrington-based charity’s annual general meeting by chief executive Euan Hall.
He also explained that another six sites had been added to the Land Trust portfolio, representing a total of over 2,300 hectares of green space now under the Trust’s management.
Working closely with local communities, the Trust engaged with a record number of people last year.
Nearly 55,000 people have benefited from joining in formal health activities or guided walks across the Trust’s 63 country parks and estates, including three designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – a 40 per cent increase on last year.
This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of walkers, joggers and families who visited on an informal basis.
Volunteers delivered 11,500 days of improvement works to key sensitive
environmental sites and the next generation were encouraged to explore the big outdoors, with more than 7,500 students taking part in 300 separate education visits.
The Land Trust was originally launched in 2004 to ensure that derelict land restored as public open space, for example on former coalfield sites, was not just abandoned but cared for on an on-going basis. The charity has since diversified and is now also taking over the ownership and management of green infrastructure and urban drainage schemes around large residential developments.
The charity’s high quality maintenance, community-based approach recently won it the prestigious ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award at the Property Week Residential Awards.
Euan Hall said: “The Trust works to ensure these developments become desirable places where people want to live, work and play – providing a secure exit for the developer and protecting their legacy and reputation.
“We have always recognised that good quality, well-managed green spaces have a positive effect on communities, creating an important sense of place.”
For more information about the Land Trust or how to get involved in volunteering or community activities, go to the website wwsw.thelandtrust.org.uk