Scotland's big personalities get behind campaign to shout about work of NTS

Famous faces Brian Cox, Gerard Butler and Sir Chris Hoy are backing a new campaign to boost interest in the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).

Sir Chris Hoy (pictured), Judy Murray, Brian Cox, Gerard Butler and Alex McLeish all featured in a new film, For the Love of Scotland, which aired for the first time last night on STV. Picture: TSPL

They reveal what they love and hate about Scotland in a new film, For the Love of Scotland, also featuring Judy Murray, Alex McLeish, rugby’s Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell, musician Dame Evelyn Glennie and TV presenter Andrea McLean.

The National Trust for Scotland aims to boost member numbers by more than a third to 500,000, to more than double paid visits to one million, and to increase regular donors and member visits over the next five years.

The stars are joined by a host of NTS supporters in the three-minute film, which first aired last night on STV.

Sir Chris Hoy reveals he hates potholes but loves how Scots can be the best in the world, while Gerard Butler says he loves mountains, lochs and glens and Burns, but hates midges and smirr.

Tennis coach Judy Murray hates when “rain stops play” but loves the country’s national treasures, while Scotland football manager Alex McLeish hates “glorious defeat”, but loves how Scots all pull together as a team.

Cox said: “I love Scotland – I’m never away from the place. I’ll always find an excuse to get back here and I love coming home. My favourite city in the world is Edinburgh, I adore it. There’s a marvellous little book by Robert Louis Stevenson about his walks around Edinburgh and I followed that book and it hasn’t changed.

“I shot a thing about Churchill last year at Newhailes – an amazing house near Portobello. It’s the most wonderful house. We shot the whole thing in Scotland and it was brilliant. The quality of the buildings isn’t an aspect of Scotland that people get.

The light in Scotland is so unique. Eight o’clock on a summer evening – there’s nothing like that. It’s the fact that the buildings have their own son et lumiere that makes then that much special.”

Dame Evelyn said: “I love that Scotland is a very daring territory. We were the first to do so many things across science, technology and culture. We push the boundaries and that gives me great faith.”

Mark Bishop, director of customer and cause at NTS, said: “Everything we do is for the love of Scotland. The hundreds of thousands of members, donors, volunteers, visitors and staff do what they do because they care about Scotland and we thought it was time to recognise that.

“The National Trust for Scotland isn’t just here for a lovely day out, it stands for something much bigger than that.

“We’re about coastlines and castles, art and architecture, wildlife and wilderness. We’re here to protect our natural and national treasures for everyone to enjoy.”

He added: “In creating this campaign, we’ve been heartened by the passion we’ve tapped – from multi award-winning actors and sporting royalty to our hard working staff and volunteers and everyone else who champions our work. We have harnessed that support to help us shout louder about the important role we play in caring for Scotland.”

NTS was set up in 1931 for the “preservation and conservation of natural and human heritage that is significant to Scotland and the world”.