2024 rewind

Take a look back on a year of challenge and renewal for the Trust in 2024.

Advocating for wild places

Following meetings with the Scottish Government in late 2023, we launched our refreshed Carbon Emissions Land Tax (CELT) proposal in spring 2024. The Scottish Government  pledged to consult on CELT over the summer.

^ Following fears that Scottish Government’s budget planned to divert money away from the Nature Restoration Fund, we renewed our call for CELT and we remain optimistic that they have recommitted to exploring CELT, following their budget announcement.  

This year saw us continuing to work with partners to demand a serious re-think of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) mast project set to damage the Highlands and rural economy. In September, we were one of 46 signatories on a letter calling for an urgent review of rollout of the SRN mobile network infrastructure.

Caring for wild places

In 2024, we celebrated some significant milestones on the land we manage with partners around the UK.

^ Four years into our partnership with Cumbria Wildlife Trust, United Utilities and Natural England in the Lake District, we shared highlights and future plans for Thirlmere.

^ We celebrated 12 years of boosting native woodland habitat in Glenlude's Phoenix Forest with our Phoenix Futures partners.

^ And, after 25 years of caring for East Schiehallion, we reflected on all that has been achieved on this special mountain – and what more is to come.

^ Thanks to the generosity of everyone who responded to our appeal, we successfully completed the Ben Nevis summit path repairs in July. Summer also saw us team up with our neighbours for an ambitious landscape-scale nature restoration project - the Nevis Nature Network.

^ After successfully experimenting with a new method of repairing a boggy path in 2023 with raw, unprocessed sheep wool, our Skye manager and ranger dog Mac are pleased to report that it has been a huge success.

Also on Skye, we have planted over 7,000 trees to restock our young native broadleaf woodland at Keppoch.

Engaging with wild places

After attracting over 400 entries to our 40th anniversary Creative Freedom competition, the best were displayed in our Wild Space Gallery in Pitlochry in April 2024. Guests at the Creative Freedom launch party enjoyed meeting overall winner Lizzie Wood and hearing about her creative process and how she was preparing to take up her prize - a residency at Quinag.

^ Our third cohort of Nevis Junior Rangers were once again empowered through learning about wild places and ended their studies on a high by celebrating on the summit of Ben Nevis.

^ Huge thanks to Members and supporters who joined us for gatherings in Aberdeen and Edinburgh to hear Bothy Tales author John D Burns talk about wild places. Meanwhile, in Coventry, they joined us for a walk and talk and heard about our plan to regenerate a unique urban wild place at Charterhouse Heritage Park.

^ We were delighted that Connect Outdoors - an educational hiking programme, piloted by the Trust, Mhor Outdoor and Tiso - was awarded £132,350 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and shortlisted for Nature of Scotland Award.

^ And finally, we celebrated 27 years of the Trust’s environmental scheme the John Muir Award. We are excited to refresh the Award, building on its success and ensuring it remains relevant for the future.