Coronavirus: National Trust to open parks and gardens for free during social distancing

'We want to honour our mission – to enable people and nature to thrive'

The National Trust has announced that it plans to keep many of its parks and gardens open to the general public for free during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement on Twitter, the charity said that it will close its shops and cafes from 20 March, in line with the Prime Minister’s advice for people to avoid mass gatherings and avoid unnecessary social contact.

However, it added that it would keep as many of its gardens and parks open as it could during the period of social distancing to encourage people to get some fresh air and explore the countryside.

“We’re aiming to open many of our gardens and parks for free during this difficult time, so the nation can use open spaces to relax and refresh, while following the government’s social distancing guidance,” the statement read. “We will be closing our houses, cafés and shops this week.”

Hilary McGrady, the organisation’s director general, added that the National Trust, which has over 200 outdoor locations across the UK, would do “all that we can” to support the public’s access to open spaces during this uncertain time.

“While we will close our indoor areas to help fight the spread of coronavirus, we recognise that people are likely to need access to open space,” McGrady said.

“The National Trust was founded 125 years ago for the benefit of the entire nation. We want to honour our mission – to enable people and nature to thrive. Over the coming weeks we will do all that we can to keep on providing public benefit through caring for places and giving people access wherever possible.”

Since making the announcement, the Trust acknowledged that some gardens and parks may be forced to close temporarily and urged people to keep checking its website for updated information before visiting any of its locations.

“Many factors have to be considered when continuing to open, including whether the garden or park allows enough space for adequate social distancing,” the Trust said.

“We will try to keep as many open spaces available as possible but this is a changing situation and we are strictly following Government advice so please keep checking our website for updated information and always check the site before you visit any of our places.

“The wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and visitors remains our top concern.”

English Heritage has also announced that it will keep its “Free to Enter” sites open for the foreseeable future. However, its staffed historic sites will be closed from until 1 May and its public events during this period have been cancelled.

In a statement, the organisation said: ”We will be reviewing this and will keep you updated. Some sites may be opened earlier and we will let you know if this is the case.

“Free-to-enter sites will remain open to visitors. These sites have large open spaces in which visitors can maintain social distancing and they are often located in quieter spots away from crowds.

“Our first priority is the health and wellbeing of all our members, visitors, volunteers and staff, and we hope you can understand why we’ve taken this unprecedented step.”