Last night, we celebrated our Centenary by bringing together some of Britain's leading sporting and environmental organisations, long-standing supporters, and our FIT ambassadors to mark an extraordinary history of protecting the nation's green spaces.
Attendees enjoyed speeches by Jo Barnett (Chair of our Board of Trustees), Chris Boardman CBE (Chair Sport England) and ambassadors Tony Juniper CBE and Gyles Brandreth, who reflected on the legacy of the charity and its continued relevance today.
While we are enormously proud of Fields in Trust's incredible legacy – safeguarding 4,000 sports pitches, 1,500 playgrounds and 1,200 parks across the UK – we will not rest on our achievements.
The launch of our Centenary Pledge was central to the evening recreating our founding moment by uniting influential voices who understand the irreplaceable value of these spaces to communities' physical and mental health, wellbeing, and social cohesion. As we enter our second century, we are delighted to be working with signatories including Sport England, the Rugby Football Union, the Lawn Tennis Association, Groundwork UK and the Town and Country Planning Association to help us preserve these precious spaces in perpetuity. Thanks to this new coalition of champions, with many more to come, we are now committing to guarantee at least one million more people will live within a 10-minute walk of a protected green space by 2030.
The evening concluded with a special video message from our new President Jill Scott MBE, who was unable to attend due to her role covering the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 and cheering our Lionesses on. Jill spoke powerfully about her journey from her local pitches in Sunderland to playing for England – and why we cannot afford to strip that opportunity from the next generation of talent. Her words remind us of the vital work we must continue to protect these essential spaces, and we are delighted to share her message with you now.
As we launch into the next 100 years, we do so with renewed purpose and an incredible coalition of support behind us!