An increase in the number of Britons opting for 'staycations' over holidays abroad this summer has helped to boost membership and visit numbers at sites operated by the National Trust (NT).

In its annual report for 2008-09, the trust reported that the effects of the recession and wet weather failed to halt a 21 per cent increase in membership recruitment, which takes the organisation's total to a record 3.76 million.

At the halfway stage of the financial year, the NT has seen an 18 per cent rise in visits to its pay-for-entry properties, with more than 12 million visits recorded by the start of September compared with 14.8 million for the whole of the previous year. Simon Jenkins, NT chair, said: "A confident and constructive spirit matters at a time like this, when so many are dispirited and distressed. We are not immune from the recession, but our founders' vision - that everyone should benefit from the joy and inspiration of beautiful places - has never been more compelling than it is today."