FREE jar of fresh air

The National Trust fresh air has been collected in recycled glass jars and will give office workers a fragrance for the natural outdoors – thought to relieve stress for up to ten minutes with each 454 gram jar containing 0.42 grams of fresh air.

Spring is on its way but according to new research out today sunshine is not enough to lift the population’s spirits with three quarters (74 per cent) of UK workers admitting they feel stressed on a daily basis.

Fortunately the antidote is close to hand with 70 per cent saying that escaping from the confines of our cities makes them feel instantly relaxed.

In response, the National Trust is giving everyone in the country a bonus with a free weekend on 20 – 21 March that gives everyone the opportunity to visit the great outdoors.

The study also found that when it comes to lowering stress levels our senses are key, with 72 per cent of those surveyed claiming that seeing the sea was the quickest and most effective stress reliever. This was followed closely by a walk in the countryside (66 per cent), contact with fresh air (59 per cent) and the sand between our toes (33 per cent).
Natural elements relieve stress
With the study revealing that contact with the natural elements can help significantly reduce stress, the National Trust has also come up with the ultimate solution for the office-bound – National Trust fresh air is being offered to stressed-out city workers in London.

The fresh air has been captured from rural and coastal locations across the country – including the lake-side scent of Townend on the shores of Lake Windermere in Cumbria, the grass filled blend at Stourhead, Wiltshire and the woodland aroma of Box Hill, Surrey.

Andrew McLaughlin, Head of Communications at the National Trust comments;

‘With most of us living in an urban environment and having little time to escape to the great outdoors we thought it was about time the National Trust shared just a fraction of our copious amounts of fresh air with the nation’.

Free entry to properties

The National Trust fresh air has been collected in recycled glass jars and will give office workers a fragrance for the natural outdoors – thought to relieve stress for up to ten minutes with each 454 gram jar containing 0.42 grams of fresh air.

For those people that are unable to get their hands on these jars of fresh air, the National Trust is also giving everyone in the country a bonus by opening their doors for free on the weekend of 20 – 21 March 2010. Hundreds of special places from castles, windmills and gardens will be opening for free and countryside and coastal car parks cared for by the Trust will also be free of charge over the weekend.

Fiona Reynolds, Director-General of the National Trust, continues:

‘Our free weekend is the perfect chance to escape the stresses of our busy lives and get outdoors and breathe in some free springtime fresh air or take inspiration from the beauty of any of 300 of our special places. We hope many of you with your friends and families will visit us and discover that we really have something for everybody – we are your National Trust – come and spend some bonus time with us.’

National Trust fresh air is currently being distributed to stressed-out workers in the city London. One hundred desk-bound office workers across the UK can also get their hands – or noses – on the fresh air by requesting their own air-filled jar online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/freeair

The National Trust fresh air has been captured in environmentally-friendly British-made recycled glass jars which can be re-used for jams, preserves or capturing your own locally-sourced fresh air.