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The National Trust’s big birthday present, and how much does a tuna the size of a motorcycle cost?

James Fisher James Fisher

Plus England's slowest roads, and the quiz of the day.

Happy birthday to me

There’s a lot to be said for buying yourself a present for your birthday, but the National Trust has really gone for it to celebrate its 130th anniversary, by declaring that it intends to create 250,000 hectares (617,500 acres) of nature-rich landscape. Described by the charity as a ‘moonshot’, the plan is part of the charity’s goal of tackling the climate and nature crises.

The work will take place on land and property the Trust already owns, as well as new acquisitions. The 250,000 hectares is about 1.5 times the size of Greater London and would improve enough soil to provide a habitat for a billion earthworms.

‘For 130 years, the National Trust has responded to the crises and challenges of the time,’ said Hilary McGrady, the Trust’s director general. ‘Today, nature is declining before our eyes and climate change is threatening homes and habitats on a colossal scale. We will ramp up our work to restore nature, both on our own land and beyond our boundaries.’

A large part of the Trust’s plan will be working with other charities and landowners to improve their land. The scope of the work is large; rather than focusing on small tracts of land, the Trust will attempt to improve entire landscapes. Harry Bowell, the Trust’s director of land and nature, admitted that the announcement was ‘audacious’, but added: ‘It is also one we think is practically achievable because of the mapping we’ve done, because of the work that we’ve done over the last 10 years and some of the emerging relationships and partnerships which we can bring to bear.’

The Trust has come under criticism in recent years for its focus on nature and landscape recover, rather than preserving heritage buildings, which some believe is the charity’s main purpose. However, the Trust said it will continue to work on heritage restoration, and pointed to the Bath Assembly Rooms as an example, where work is underway on a £17 million restoration project.

Either way, it’s quite the birthday gift to itself. Here’s hoping they succeed.

Quiz of the day

1) Who was the original drummer for The Beatles?

2) What does a toxophilist practise?

3) The alligator pear is more commonly known as what?

4) In which city would you have found Checkpoint Charlie?

5) In which year did Torvill and Dean win Olympic gold?

How much?

Turns out, the fish in this picture could buy you a very nice house. Credit: Getty Images

Today, in unusual and interesting measurements, we go to Japan, where a tuna the size and weight of a motorcycle was sold for £1 million. The fish, which weighs 276kg (in case you didn’t immediately know the weight of a motorcycle) was purchased by the Onodera Group at the annual new year auction at Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. It was the second-highest price ever paid at the auction.

The fish will be served at the Michelin-starred Ginza Onodera restaurants, as well as Nadaman restaurants. ‘The first tuna is something meant to bring in good fortune,’ said Shinji Nagao, an official at Onodera. The record auction price at Toyosu is 333.6 million yen (£1.7 million), which was set in 2019 for a 278kg bluefin.

Fire places

The amazing fireplace at Sandford Orcas.

It’s cold and it’s rainy. Time to huddle around the fire, we reckon. Let the cosyness of winter really settle in. With that in mind, we sent Arabella Youens to find five fine country houses with fantastic fireplaces.

England’s Slowest roads

Credit: Getty

The slowest roads in England have been revealed, with the average speed on A road in Reading of 13mph. The data comes courtesy of temporary car insurance firm Tempcover, shows how large a difference there is between the speed limit and the average speed driven. Urban areas top the list, with none of the top-10 seeing average speeds break 20mph. Have a look at the data below.

England’s 10 slowest-moving traffic hotspots

1 Reading 13
2 Nottingham 13.5
3 Southampton 13.6
4 London 13.8
5 Plymouth 15.3
5 Manchester 15.3
7 Hull 15.6
8 Leicester 15.9
9 Liverpool 16.1
9 Bristol 16.1
Source: Tempcover

That’s all for today, we’ll be back tomorrow

Quiz answers

1) Pete Best

2) Archery

3) Avocado

4) Berlin

5) 1984