Land Trust Chief
Executive, Euan Hall, says there is ‘a huge opportunity to change the future of
our country’ as the national land management charity publishes its 2017-18
annual review.
As the Land Trust
looks back on a year which has seen 1.3 million people spend time on their
green spaces spaces, 40,000 volunteer hours completed and 13,200 individuals
taking part in educational and training activities, the Trust is now turning
its attention to areas such as public health, economy and the environment.
Writing in the review, available to read online here, the organisation’s chief executive, Euan Hall, says: “As
the 15th anniversary of the Land
Trust rapidly approaches it is incredible to see how far we have come and how
many people’s lives we are positively affecting.
“We are an
organisation with big ambitions and we recognise that we now have an
opportunity to help tackle some of the biggest issues currently being faced by
our country.
“It has been well
documented that the NHS is struggling financially, crippled under the growing
weight of preventable, long term and non-communicable diseases, caused in part
by inactivity. In 2019 and beyond the Trust is committed to working with our communities
to help them take more responsibility for their own health, thereby relieving
the NHS of unaffordable expenditure.”
The Land Trust owns
64 parks and green spaces throughout the UK, which are managed in a way that
benefits surrounding communities and wildlife.
Over the last 12
months the charity has committed significant time and resource to understanding
and evidencing the contribution the Trust makes and proving that well managed
green space can have a positive impact on people’s physical and mental well-being,
the economy and the environment. This has seen three
key pieces of research published.
Hall added: “We all
have a responsibility to look after this planet that we call home and the Land
Trust, working in partnership with various organisations will ensure we have
our say in shaping the future direction of this work. Our research will play a
vital role in this.
“We need a
government that is prepared to work to prioritise green space and
infrastructure and the announcement of a new environment bill is a promising
start. We look forward to working with Defra to help deliver the 2019 year of
environmental action.
“Ultimately it is
about deciding what society we want our children, and their children, to grow
up in.
“We have a huge
opportunity to change the future of our country. It is vital that we do not
miss it.”
