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National Trust properties at risk from extreme weather


National Trust Images, Paul Harris Merlin Townsend, Senior Gardener at Bodnant Garden, with the lost Abies grandis in the Yew Dell in Bodnant Gardens
National Trust Images, Paul Harris

In early 2024, Bodnant Garden in Conwy, Wales experienced significant damage due to Storm Darragh.

Storms and flooding have damaged some of the UK’s most precious heritage, according to the National Trust – the UK’s biggest conservation charity.

It says extreme weather is taking a toll on the estates it manages in England and Wales, with many mature trees brought down and flooding damaging buildings and gardens.

Warm, wet conditions have prevailed this year and that has brought problems too, the Trust says in its annual roundup of how the weather and climate have affected its vast holdings of land and property.

It says increasing “homogenisation” is blurring distinctions between the seasons, which can be challenging for many insect species and the predators that depend on them.