Category Archives: The National Trust

National Trust sacking education officers ‘will hit worst-off children’

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Volunteers accuse charity of excluding deprived and minority ethnic schoolchildren

Volunteers are accusing the National Trust of excluding deprived and minority ethnic schoolchildren from enjoying nature and visiting its properties with the planned sacking of the charity’s education officers.

The number of protests and petitions are growing over the trust’s controversial “reset” involving the proposed loss of 1,200 jobs, including its learning staff, as the charity plans to stop providing any curriculum-based content or learning activities for schools.

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National Trust buys romantic landscape of Lorna Doone novel

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Nine acres in Exmoor includes buildings, rivers and moorland linked to 19th-century tale

It is a place of wooded valleys, tumbling rivers and rugged moorland that was immortalised in the 19th-century novel Lorna Doone, a twisty tale of romance, murder and outlaws by RD Blackmore.

The National Trust announced on Tuesday it had bought nine acres of land in Doone country, including farmhouses and cottages, and is hoping to encourage more visitors to explore this tucked-away area of Exmoor.

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Ickworth embraces enforced darkness to spotlight art collection

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Rotunda at National Trust property exploits gloom from scaffolding to stage exhibition

A 200-year-old Italianate palace, hidden away in the Suffolk countryside and currently encased in more than 270 miles of scaffolding, is to hold an exhibition that is only taking place because it is undergoing £5m of conservation works.

Ickworth, a Georgian estate and one of the most photographed of all National Trust properties, will on Satuday open its magnificent but leaky Rotunda to show off world class works of art and objects which few people know are even there.

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Easter egg hunts land National Trust in a row over Cadbury’s link to rainforest loss

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Two women take on heritage organisation over its contract with the chocolate maker

In one corner were two women, a teacher and a graphic designer, from Cambridgeshire. In the other was the guardian of the country’s heritage and green spaces. Both were engaged in a high-intensity battle – over chocolate.

The usually staid proceedings of the National Trust annual general meeting in Swindon yesterday erupted into a heated row about the conservation charity’s longstanding deal with one of the largest confectionery giants in the world.

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Woodland sounds help relaxation more than meditation apps – study

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National Trust research finds birdsong and rustling leaves increase relaxation by 30%

Gentle woodland sounds such as birdsong and the breeze rustling leaves in the trees are more relaxing than meditation recordings, a new study claims.

Researchers exposed participants to three soundtracks – a woodland, a woman guiding a meditation session and deep silence.

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National Trust buys Lake District hill revered by Turner for its views

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Brackenthwaite Hows is first site bought by charity specifically for its panorama

It is known for its stately homes and country mansions – and its bank-breaking car parks. Now the National Trust has added one of the Lake District’s loveliest views to its portfolio, after the landowners decided to share it with the nation.

The panorama from Brackenthwaite Hows was painted by JMW Turner in his 1797 watercolour Crummock Water, Looking Towards Buttermere, and offers splendid 360-degree views across the north-western Lakes. It was spotted by the artist on his first ever visit to what later became the national park, and was the basis for an oil painting he exhibited at the Royal Academy.

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Report calls for reform of ‘unhealthy’ land ownership in Scotland

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Commission set up by Scottish government recommends new powers to split monopolies

Scottish land ownership rules must be radically reformed to reverse the concentration of the countryside in the hands of a small number of ultra-wealthy individuals and public bodies, a major review has warned.

The study by the Scottish Land Commission, a government quango, says that in extreme cases where landowners abuse their power they could face compulsory purchase or community buyouts.

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