Chairman
It has been reported that the younger generation is flocking to join the National Trust. There has been a large growth in membership among 18- to 25-year-olds. Young people are appreciating the value of stately homes and gardens, and visits offset the challenges and demands of financial pressures and social media. Younger adults (those aged between 18 and 44) are more likely to visit heritage and landscape sites than older generations. There is a real interest in history and heritage. This news is warmly welcomed, and heartening for the future of the NT.
The Neptune Appeal is 60 years old this year. Our Centre has made a number of donations over the years. Since records began, groups within our region have donated over £290,000 towards the appeal. The NT now looks after 896 miles of coastline. Support for the Appeal remains strong, enabling the care and conservation of special places to continue.
In May, Coventry Charterhouse officially opened its doors to the public. In partnership with Historic Coventry Trust, the NT has taken on the management of the property. The Charterhouse is a Grade I listed building, and is a former Carthusian monastery, one of nine ever built in England. This is an opportunity for the NT to reach more people in urban areas such as the city of Coventry.
The Giant’s Causeway on the Antrim coast is a World Heritage Site and has been in the care of the NT since 1962. (Some members will recall our visit there during a Centre holiday in Northern Ireland some years ago.) It is a popular tourist attraction but over the years visitors have been jamming coins into the interlocking basalt columns, causing damage. The coins rust and expand in the cracks in the rocks. The stone then crumbles and unsightly stains appear. The NT is removing the coins at a cost of over £30,000. This is a reminder of the fragility of heritage sites, and that visitors have a responsibility to treat them with care and respect.
It is inevitable that there will be changes in the composition of the Centre’s committee in the coming months. This is important to refresh the current skills and experience available to us, and to spread the workload. Members are asked to consider coming forward, and to respond in a positive way to requests for help.
Chris Fonteyn