2025 rewind

As 2025 draws to a close, we reflect on a year of action, advocacy... Across the UK, our teams, volunteers, and partners have worked tirelessly to protect wild places, restore landscapes and inspire communities. Here's a round-up of some highlights.

Advocating for wild places

Land reform and deer management were top of the agenda in early 2025 when Director of Policy and Land David Fleetwood was invited to give evidence on the Scottish Government’s Land Reform Bill and deer management.

In May the Scottish Government committed to a National Deer Management Plan and following campaigning from the Trust and partners, in June Scottish Politicians voted to double the number of landowners included in the Land Reform Bill and in November we spoke at the REVIVE land reform conference.

Plus, following pressure from a Trust-backed coalition, the UK Government scaled back its Shared Rural Network plan to install mobile masts in rural Scotland by 80%.

Caring for wild places

2025 was a busy year for our land team and trusty volunteers. After Glenlude’s packed agenda of work parties with our regular volunteers - and partners including Phoenix Futures and Jamie’s Wood who spent a couple of sunny spring days in April helping grow Glenlude’s native woodland – the team ended the year on a high. 

^ Our inspiring nature recovery partnership with Phoenix Futures at Glenlude won a 2025 Nature of Scotland Health and Wellbeing Award.

Meanwhile, in the Lake District another thriving partnership project Thirlmere, led by Isaac, has been nurturing montane woodland plants in the nursery and working with volunteers to plant them out on the hillside.

Our Skye team – and the many visitors who head for the land we manage at Strathaird - enjoyed the upgraded toilet facilities and car park at Bla Bheinn.

Summer saw us celebrate 25 years of caring for Ben Nevis. Plus our Mountain Woodland Appeal for East Schiehallion get off to a great start thanks to the Big Give Green Match Fund, boosted by our generous Members and supporters later in the year.

^ Our plans to work with partners at Charterhouse Heritage Park in Coventry are shaping up thanks to a funding boost.

2025 was the 15^th consecutive year of the John Muir Trust Northeast Scotland Group conservation work parties, with over 20 events of one and two-days duration, roughly equating to over 1,000 hours of work with the ranger services at Glen Tanar, Balmoral and National Trust Scotland's Mar Lodge. The Group also arranged two visiting speakers, Chris Wardle of NTS and Jeremy Roberts from Cairngorms Connect who entertained and informed attentive and inquisitive audiences.

Engaging with wild places

Following the spring launch of our redesigned John Muir Award Wild Places Guardian level, 2,200 individuals have achieved their Award, taking action for wild places across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Over 25,000 hours have already been spent actively protecting wild places, including planting trees and wildflowers and advocating for nature with MPs.

^ Events in 2025 kicked off with the Fort William Mountain Festival and a community catch up on Skye, before Trust Members and supporters joined our staff and Trustees near the banks of Loch Lomond to hear our plans to secure a lasting future for wild places.

Up at Kylesku Lodges in Assynt, holiday makers have been enjoying our latest luxurious new lodge – White Cairn – which we’ve added to our 10 refurbished A-Frame lodges at Kylesku.

Meanwhile, more underrepresented communities have been able to explore wild places thanks to our partnership educational hiking programme – Connect Outdoors.