National Trust shares celebrities’ favourite photos

Celebrities are used to life in front of the lens but this spring stars from the world of sport, film and TV are taking a turn behind the camera to help with a National Trust initiative.

Actor Jude Law, chefs The Fabulous Baker Brothers and England rugby ace Austin Healey are among those who have shared photographs of the places that mean the most to them as part of a nationwide scheme by the National Trust to celebrate the importance of ’special places’ in people’s lives. 

The campaign follows research undertaken by the charity which found that 84 per cent of Brits have a favourite place they go to which positively affects their wellbeing and happiness.

Photographs by the celebrities are being showcased on a new app created by the National Trust to encourage people to share their favourite place and why it means so much to them. The app will also feature places that are important to National Trust staff and volunteers and members of the public.

Included on the app are well-known names such as Nell McAndrew with photographs of Ham House in London, whilst Kim Cattrall shares memories of Blickling Estate in Norfolk. Other celebrities involved include The Fabulous Baker Brothers, Tom and Henry Herbert, who chose Dyrham Park near Bath after family picnics there and its spectacular views across the South Gloucestershire countryside.

Meanwhile, musician Gary Kemp chose the Lake District as the special place for a perfect day after summers spent holidaying in the heart of National Trust countryside, sharing a picture of his son topping a Lakeland Fell.  

Top model David Gandy commented: "I wanted to share my favourite photograph of Melford Hall as I have such fond and affectionate memories here, from visiting the beautiful grounds and rooms on school trips with all my school friends to family outings.  Luckily my parents live very close to Melford Hall and so we tend to visit together quite often.

“I particularly enjoy the fun event held on fireworks night, as this is when the gardens and park really come to life. Lots of people have special places that evoke happy memories so I think it’s great that the National Trust is encouraging people to share their love and give these places the importance they deserve.”

According to the National Trust study, four out of five people (81 per cent) said visiting their favourite place had a bigger impact on their wellbeing than shopping or going to the cinema. Nearly a third of those surveyed (31 per cent) said their favourite place was where they grew up, while 30 per cent chose a recent holiday spot and one in four (25 per cent) the location of a childhood family outing.

One in ten (ten per cent) are romantically-minded and admitted that their special place was where they were married and five per cent where they were proposed to. 87 per cent said their special place made them happy just thinking about it, with three quarters of those surveyed (75 per cent) revealing the place they love the most reminded them of their family.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:
To explore the National Trust places and find or discover new special places log onto www.nationaltrust.org.uk. The nation can also register their special place and tell everyone why they love it at www.facebook.com/nationaltrust and #specialplaces

About the National Trust:
The National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 710 miles of coastline and hundreds of special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more information and ideas for great value family days out go to: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

Contact Information

Laura Appleby

PR contact

National Trust

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