John Muir Award makes an impact

214,000 hours for wild places: Our 2025 John Muir Award Impact Report reveals how thousands of people across the UK are taking action for nature.

New figures from the 2025 John Muir Award Impact Report reveal more than 6,800 participants have contributed over 214,000 hours to discovering, caring for and protecting wild places since the programme's relaunch in spring 2025. 

Since the John Muir Award relaunched in spring 2025, more than 6,800 people across the UK have completed the Award, spending over 214,000 hours discovering, exploring, conserving and sharing their experiences of wild places. 

Delivered by the John Muir Trust, the Award encourages people of all backgrounds to connect with nature through practical action. From schools and youth groups to community organisations and wellbeing programmes, participants are helping restore habitats, build confidence and develop a lasting appreciation for the natural world. 

Since relaunching, participants have collectively: 

• Completed 214,492 hours of Award activity  
• Contributed 74,695 hours of practical conservation work  
• Planted 5,196 native trees  
• Collected 2,799 bags of litter  
• Removed 19,663m² of invasive species – the equivalent of almost three football pitches  
• Maintained 12,075 metres of footpaths  
• Supported 2,247 participants who identified as facing barriers to accessing nature  

The figures reflect activity taking place across all four UK nations and the Channel Islands, with 438 organisations helping deliver the Award. 

Connecting people with wild places 

The John Muir Award is built around four simple challenges: Discover, Explore, Conserve and Share. 

By encouraging people to spend meaningful time outdoors and take practical action for nature, the Award helps participants develop environmental understanding alongside confidence, teamwork and practical skills. 

Gareth Morgan, Head of Engagement at the John Muir Trust, said: "Wild places need people who understand, value and stand up for them. 

"The John Muir Award helps create those connections by giving people practical opportunities to discover, explore and care for wild places in meaningful ways. 

"What we're seeing across the UK is incredibly encouraging – thousands of people taking action for nature, spending time outdoors and developing a stronger sense of responsibility for the places they care about. These experiences help build not only environmental understanding, but confidence, practical skills and lasting connections with wild places." 

Inspiring action across the UK 

The stories behind the statistics are equally inspiring. 

In the Outer Hebrides, pupils at Sgoil Bhaile A' Mhanich transformed an overlooked area of school grounds into a thriving wild space before successfully campaigning to protect a pond and surrounding habitat they had come to value. 

In Southampton, young people completing the Award around the River Itchen developed a deeper understanding of one of England's most important chalk streams, carrying out environmental monitoring and sharing their findings with decision-makers. 

Meanwhile, across Scotland, people are using the Award to build careers in conservation. Engagement Ranger Ellie Moore, who completed the Award herself in 2022, now supports students on the UHI North, West and Hebrides Countryside Skills Ranger Training course, helping the next generation develop practical conservation skills and a deeper appreciation of Scotland's landscapes. 

As outdoor learning continues to receive growing attention across the UK, the John Muir Award is helping thousands of people build meaningful relationships with nature while making a lasting contribution to the places they care about. 

• Find out more about the John Muir Award. 
• Read the 2025 John Muir Award Impact Report.