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Mark Harold is the Trust’s Director of Land and Nature. He has been caring for the countryside for over 30 years.

H anging outside the window of my office at home is a bird feeder (pictured). Right now I can see a blue tit, but I am often visited by chaffinches and woodpeckers. It means that at any time I can look up and see beauty in nature. Each day, it is a joy.

As a keen gardener, you’ll often find me with my hands dirty with soil, planting things, seeing them grow and watching nature take its course. My cabbages are often covered with caterpillars, but I don’t mind. I’d rather have the butterflies than the spring greens.

Nature can take us to a different place because it doesn’t react to the same stresses or technological demands as we do. For me, looking away from the screen to watch birds, feeling bare earth on my fingers or getting out for a walk to feel the rain on my face and the wind in my hair is rejuvenating.

I’ve been lucky to spend the last 30 years trying to protect the landscapes and wildlife that bring such joy to me and to so many others. Nature really does thrive when you nurture it and many Trust places have a richness and diversity of species that is lacking in most areas of the country. The gentle hum of pollinators around abundant flower and plant life is an experience everyone should be able to enjoy.

But this natural environment is under threat. The State of Nature 2019 report, produced by over 70 organisations to present an overview of how the country’s wildlife is faring, paints a sobering picture. Since 1970, 41 per cent of UK species studied have fallen, with the steepest losses happening in the last 10 years. That is why we’re doing everything we can to protect wildlife and create new habitats in which they, and we, can thrive.

Research has shown that being connected to nature can increase our sense of wellbeing and make us happier, fitter and more satisfied. Spending time in nature can help lower levels of anxiety and stress, helping us cope better with challenging modern lifestyles. Today, 125 years after the National Trust was founded, I think Octavia Hill’s words of 1883 on our cover and opposite remain as true as they were then. Turn the page to read interviews with some of our staff, volunteers and members who find moments in nature that uplift them, and ideas for you to try for yourself.

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Octavia Hill, 1883 Co-founder of the National Trust

We all want quiet. We all want beauty …. We all need space.Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in

which whispers of better things come to us gently.

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Pam Smith has loved spending time in nature since childhood. Now as a Trust Gardens and Parks Consultant in the Midlands she reflects on her favourite spring moments

An April downpour is my favourite time to be outside. I’ve created a seat in my garden where I can sit snugly and watch the spring showers. To me, rain is nature’s polish for tree bark and it’s nature’s jeweller too. I love watching the beads of water that thread together on the tips of twigs.

Time moves quickly at this time of year. Seemingly overnight the tree canopies start to turn green and cast shade until the last tree, the ash, unfurls its leaves.

I think spring is the sight of blue skies, yellow flowers and jewel-green buds, and the chiming percussion of stones on rake as I prepare seedbeds. I love the smell of damp earth mingled with the scent of a warm greenhouse, stacked with seed trays and plant labels.

I’m fortunate to know I need nature to gain peace and energy. Nature is surprisingly easy to find, even in the city where I now live. If I feel overwhelmed, I take time to be outside. When my dad died, I sat and reflected on a park bench. I run past that bench now, red-faced but invigorated in my ‘Couch to 5K’ efforts.

Trust member Mal Emerson from Neath Port Talbot, found walking the coast gave him solace after a workplace accident

My life changed 23 years ago when my leg was caught in a drum at work as I was repairing a conveyor belt.

After the accident, it took me nearly five years to be able to walk just a couple of hundred metres. My mentality was to try to walk to just one more lamp-post every day. Now I can’t believe how far I can walk.

The accident broke my body, but it also broke my mind. Severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) took over my life and I completely lost myself. The mental scars just wouldn’t go away.

These days, when the trauma kicks in, I go walking to lose the memories. Nature is my medication and I thrive by being in the outdoors. I go up into the hills of Brecon, or down to the beach at the Gower and just lose myself in the landscape. It’s just so inspirational; the scenery is breathtaking. I feel as though the sea is in my soul.

One day, I decided to share my story on Facebook about how walking has helped my health, both physically and mentally. I wrote, ‘If anyone wants to join me, I’ll meet you at the end of the pier.’ When I arrived, there were 16 men waiting there and I thought, ‘There must be something in this!’ Now I’ve founded Mal’s

I’ve always felt this way about the outdoors. I grew up on smallholdings in Anglesey in Wales and spent time living in a caravan, so nature features heavily in my early memories. As a child, I chose the chores that meant I could be outside. I often chose the long route on my walk back from the school bus stop. Later I spent my holiday job wages on bird and wildflower identification books. Now when I smell the coconut scent of gorse, I’m reminded of the darting rabbits of my childhood home.

I’m drawn to interactions with nature where I can see and feel a human touch. A garden, a public park, a tree avenue or a walk along an old fence line can comfort me and pique my curiosity. I like the idea of someone having been there before me.

Marauders Men’s Health charity where, through ‘walk and talk’ events, we unite men to share their experiences and shed the social stigma of mental health while getting fitter on walks in wonderful places.

Men are stubborn and seldom talk about their health, but the walk-and-talk group has broken that barrier. Walking together has created a sense of belonging and we’ll always make time to stop and have a cup of tea and share stories. It’s quite powerful. And we’re doing things we thought we’d never do again.

When we go walking at Rhosili and the Three Cliffs, my friends and I are totally in awe of the place. It’s a rugged Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We’ll be on a high for weeks after walking there.

Mental health and the outdoors go hand in hand. If you can get out there you’ll feel the wind on your skin, the sea spray on your face. To me, the outdoors is the best anti-depressant you can get.

Spring is the sight of blue skies, yellow flowers and jewel-green buds

The sea is in my soul

Previous page A precious sunset moment by the water’s edge at Birling Gap, East Sussex.

Previous page inset For many of us, getting close views of birds on a feeder is a constant source of pleasure.

Below Yellow flowers, such as this forsythia, lift the spirits in spring.

Above Mal’s Marauders in action on the sweeping sands of Rhosili Bay, Gower Peninsula, Swansea.

Where’s your stomping ground?Mal loves the Gower – where’s your favourite place to walk? Whether you prefer a brisk coastal stomp or a leisurely woodland amble, walking is good for the body and refreshing for the mind. A weekend walk can be the perfect way to catch up with friends at your own pace, or you might prefer to join a guided walk and learn about a new route. To find a spring walk near you, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/mag/spring-walks

Inspired to write? Generations of poets and writers have been inspired to put pen to paper and record the beauty of early blooms or the fresh scent of spring rain. On 20 March, the first official day of spring, join wildlife lovers across the UK in embracing the sights, sounds and smells of spring and take part in a crowd-sourced nature diary in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. If you’d like to find out more and take part, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/mag/nature-diary

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Joe Ashman lives out his childhood dreams every day by climbing into the canopy as part of his job as a tree surgeon at Stourhead, Wiltshire

My dad always said I was never happier as a child than when I was climbing a tree. Later in life, when I found out that you could actually get a job climbing them, it was a dream come true. Now I’m a tree surgeon based at Stourhead in Wiltshire, where everybody knows me as ‘the tree guy’ and I get to climb some of the most magnificent trees in the world.

A tree surgeon is somebody who cares for trees. I look at their structure to make sure they’re safe and make plans for their future care. One way to keep them healthy is to reduce the tree in size and weight by precise and sympathetic pruning. The tree surgery and climbing equipment available now makes this delicate pruning possible as I can climb all over the tree using ropes and harnesses and trim with super-light chainsaws. I can extend the life of a mature tree by up to a century by pruning it in the right way and I get to be a small but significant part of that tree’s life.

When you get up into the canopy it’s a whole different world. You can hear the birds all around you and feel the leaves and branches moving gently in the breeze. I can lose myself up there, it’s just so peaceful.

I get to climb up some of the oldest trees in the country, some of which have never been climbed, so there are views that only I have ever seen. That’s pretty cool.

Beech trees are spectacular to climb. They can grow to twice the size of an average house, so they’re absolutely vast when you climb into the canopy. I love that they’re one of the UK’s most common trees, so you can see their beautiful boughs everywhere.

The trees are why I love my job because no two are the same. Each one has a different shape and size. They’re always interesting, they’re always challenging and it’s always fun to spend time around them.

We often look at trees from eye level, but I’d encourage people to stop below a canopy and gaze up once in a while. Being near trees and admiring them can make you feel as though you’re a part of them.

Above Joe preparing to climb one of the old Stourhead trees.

I’m known as ‘the tree guy’

Feeling the need for calm? Like Joe, many people find spending time among trees brings them peace and refreshment. The Japanese government believed so much in the power of trees for good health that they ordered scientists to look into the benefits they bring. The studies found that spending two hours in a forest could reduce blood pressure, lower stress hormone levels and improve concentration and memory. As a result, ‘shinrin-yoku’ or forest bathing was introduced as a Japanese national health programme. For tips on forest bathing and green havens to try it in, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/mag/forest-bathing

Heidi Reynolds, Volunteer Wildlife Ranger, at Lizard Point, Cornwall, loves to spread the joy of watching wildlife

‘If you want to spot a seal, go and speak to the lady in the red T-shirt.’ That’s me, the Volunteer Wildlife Ranger waiting with a telescope at Lizard Point in Cornwall. I encourage everyone to come and peer through the lens. It’s a joy to watch an oystercatcher forage for cockles and you might be lucky and spot an Atlantic grey seal, chough or bottlenose dolphin.

I absolutely love my role here. As soon as I arrive, I stand in front of this incredible coastal vista, smile to myself and think, ‘Just another day at the office!’ I’m on a natural high as soon as I walk down the path.

When I put on my red T-shirt, I can just be ‘Heidi from the National Trust’. I don’t have to be Heidi with any neurological conditions. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when I was just 37 and medically retired from my career as a Metropolitan Police Officer. I felt like I’d suddenly had the rug pulled out from under me.

Moving to Cornwall has been my silver lining. I’ve built a life close to the coast that I love. When I started volunteering with the Trust, I felt valued again.

Being a Volunteer Wildlife Ranger is all about meeting people and I love that side of it. You can’t beat

the feeling when you help someone spot a distant seal or soaring bird and get a joyful reaction. I remember a lovely little boy of about six who was desperate to see a seal. The sea was a bit rough that day – not ideal for seal-spotting, but when he saw one, his reaction was just phenomenal. That joy is absolutely infectious. It’s a real privilege to share wildlife experiences with people.

Many people visit the most southerly point to gaze out and have an ice cream. I might ask, ‘Have you seen the gannets diving in the bay? They dive into the sea at about 62mph.’ You see a spark of excitement and they’ll hurry to share the new knowledge with their friends. I always hope they’ll take that feeling away with them. The more we can spread that spark, the more we’ll be able to protect this precious outdoor space.

Below Lizard Point, Cornwall, where Heidi and other volunteers help visitors to spot local wildlife.

Fancy pitching in?Volunteering like Heidi can be a great way to explore beautiful places, make new friends and learn new skills while helping the Trust’s cause. If you have a spare afternoon you might like to pitch in with a beach clean and enjoy a seaside walk while helping to keep the coast clear for wildlife and visitors alike. If you have more time to spare, there are hundreds of roles to choose from for the green-fingered, the passionate historian and everyone in between. Find out how to get involved by visiting nationaltrust.org.uk/ways-to-volunteer

It’s a real privilege to share wildlife experiences with people

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Volunteer Urban Ranger Arjun Dutta finds birdwatching at his ‘patch’, Morden Hall Park in London, brings him peace and calm

Next time you see a storm gathering, take a minute to look in its direction, because if you’re lucky, you might see flocks of hundreds of birds flying overhead. I once counted over 800 house martins descending, which was a mind-blowing spectacle.

I’ve been interested in birds since I was seven. It was after I took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, where you count birds in your garden to help monitor wildlife trends. Shortly after, I visited Langkawi, an island in Malaysia, with my family. We met a group of inspirational naturalists who took us birdwatching each morning. They showed us the most amazing birdlife, such as hornbills and sunbirds, as well as butterflies and reptiles. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and I’ve been hooked on birding ever since.

Morden Hall Park is my ‘patch’ in birdwatching terms. When I’m feeling a bit stressed out or have a lot on my plate, I go there for a walk and to spot some birds. Even if I don’t see much birdlife that day, I feel calmer and more relaxed and can take a step back from everything.

I’m one of the Urban Rangers there. We’re a group of young volunteers who help improve the woodland,

reedbeds and meadow habitats for nature. It’s a surprisingly good spot for migrating birds. I often see thrushes, swallows and swifts making their journey to or from faraway lands. I’m amazed to imagine some of these tiny birds flying such long distances.

The world would be a really dull place if it weren’t for birdsong. The nightingale and swift are my favourites and they have the most beautiful songs. I haven’t got great eyesight so, for me, it’s amazing to listen to the birds. Even if all I can see is a small speck in the sky, I’ll be able to hear the sound.

I’d love to see more interaction with nature in schools. Education can be stressful and I think nature can help. Spending time pond-dipping or birdwatching could help children learn skills to cope better with stress for the rest of their lives.

Arjun is an Urban Ranger which is part of the Green Academies Project, funded by Our Bright Future and The National Lottery Community Fund.

The world would be a dull place if it weren’t for birdsong

Above Watching and listening to birds, such as this common whitethroat, helps Arjun cope with stress.

Does birdsong lift your heart?Surely there’s no sweeter sound than birdsong on a spring morning. Join bird lovers across the world in celebrating ‘nature’s symphony’ on International Dawn Chorus Day on 3 May 2020 with Rangers and expert birdwatchers leading walks at various Trust places. Turn to page 13 for a selection of events.

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