National Trust quietly updates values to prioritise 'embracing traditions of different cultures'

The National Trust has swapped multiple references to "history" for the term "culture" whilst also stripping away several mentions of "the countryside" from its mission statement.

The conservation charity's amended objectives now centre on "embracing the traditions of different cultures" alongside exploring "the stories of different histories".

Previously, the organisation's statement of values declared its commitment to looking after "the nation's coastline, historic sites, countryside and green spaces, ensuring everyone benefits".

Since February, this wording has been altered, with the Trust now pledging to care for nature and landscapes whilst seeking to "give new life to old places".

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The charity describes its work as a "movement" spanning "across time and place", expressing ambitions to harness "the ideas of a million minds. Alive. Open".

The organisation's new slogan, "Together We Thrive", accompanies a statement declaring: "We all need nature; it's a matter of survival. And we all need culture; it's what humans do."

The previous iteration of the Trust's values highlighted specific properties across Britain, naming locations such as Lizard Point and Lindisfarne, whilst emphasising efforts "to protect nature, beauty and history in towns, cities, villages and countryside".

This language has been replaced with broader messaging, with the charity now stating: "We collectively represent a cause that's bigger than just ourselves or one property. It's about caring for nature and culture everywhere."

The revised values appear in an updated "Who We Are and What We Stand for" section on the organisation's website, reports The Telegraph.

An accompanying internal video montage features footage of landscapes, stately homes decorated for Hindu celebrations, and east London tower blocks, with voiceovers articulating the charity's refreshed principles.

The video includes footage of Hindus marking the spring festival of Holi at Corfe Castle in 2024, alongside imagery of a mural depicting the late British poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

Emphasising the Trust's identity as a movement, the montage briefly shows scenes from a climate demonstration, with one protester visible holding a placard bearing the words "capitalism kills".

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A voiceover accompanying the footage states: "What we can do together, we could never do alone."

The video and updated values coincide with a fresh lobbying campaign spearheaded by the Trust, urging the Government to strengthen environmental protections.

Members have been encouraged to contact their MPs demanding commitments on cleaning waterways, supporting farmers in environmental efforts, and creating more green spaces accessible to all communities.

The charity is also pushing to address what it terms "unfair access to green space", including cultural barriers that may discourage ethnic minority communities from visiting the countryside.

Cornelia Van der Poll, co-founder of the campaign group Restore Trust, criticised the changes, saying: "It seems that this is an attempt to attract ethnic minority visitors by incorporating their cultures into properties."

She added: "This patronises visitors and risks misrepresenting the properties. It also seems counter-productive to treat people as belonging to separate identity groups."

National Trust Director General Hilary McCrady has previously addressed the issue of cultural barriers preventing ethnic minorities from enjoying outdoor spaces.

Speaking to LBC, she described such barriers as "everything from it's not culturally something that they necessarily feel as if it's part of what they do when they go there".

Mrs McCrady elaborated: "They don't necessarily know 'what am I meant to wear, how do I behave? What's a countryside code? I've never heard of it'.

"So there's loads of different reasons why they don't feel confident all the time."

GB News has approached the National Trust for a comment.

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