I’ve just come back from our National Conference at Chateau Impney (near Droitwich not France!).
Chateau Impney at night (we were in the conference centre round the back and I stayed in a Holiday Inn around the corner – we are a charity after all!)
It was a big gathering of all the NT’s leaders across the country. The new strategy aims to address 5 main themes which we believe the national needs for the 21st century.
Simon Murray from our Executive Team and Senior Director of Strategy introduces the new plan
1. Looking after what we’ve got: our first and most importsant duty is to look after the land and buildings we already own. We take a long term view of conservation, so that includes measures to combat climate change.
2. A healthier, more beautiful environment: people love the outdoors and benefit from the services it provides. But the health of the envionment is compromised by decades of mis-use and under pressure from climate change.
3. Experiences that move, teach and inspire: millions of people every year visit cultural, heritage and outdoor places. We do well at providing warm and welcoming experiences. But many people want more than that: they want experiences that move, teach and inspire. We will offer enjoyable, inspiring and relevant experiences at all our properties.
4. Looking after the places people live: people love their local, everyday heritage. But budget cuts and housing pressure means that local hisitoric buildings and green spaces could be under threat. We will test what role, if any the National Trust can play in safeguarding their future.
5. Growing support: as a consequence of this, we will build longer and more loyal support that will allow us to fulfil our conservation need and our ambitions. We will better understand what people want and tailor what we offer and how we communicate to meet those needs.
Jeremy Barlow General Manager from the Lake District talk about Aira Force and mentions our own brilliant Lydford Gorge!
R and R time – the evening Irish dancing!
A Dartmoor blog 