Dear Editor,

The people behind our places page on the Trust's website appears to support the observations made by the National Trust volunteer in the letter to the editor dated 10 October on the 'them and us' culture.

No doubt some, if not all, of the Trust's 10,000 employees are necessary if it is to fulfil its core purpose (whether it does so is another matter) but are they sufficient? I would be surprised if volunteers do not make a significant as well as necessary contribution but if there is an acknowledgement of that I have not found it.

I agree with Ken Cowdry (letter dated 9 October) that a certain level of volunteering should give an entitlement to membership. It looks to me as though that ought to be possible under section 4(1)(g) of the National Trust Act 1971. 

I think it would be even fairer for there to be some mechanism for consulting volunteers over matters that affect them. At the moment the attitude appears to be 'like it or lump it'. My experience is that there is a high level of loyalty to a particular property (not the Trust in general) and to fellow volunteers whose companionship we value, so we buckle down. Most of the team of which I am a member have invested at least two days a week for over ten years in gardening and landscape maintenance. There would be an element of cutting off our noses to spite our faces if we just walked away. Volunteers tend to be fragmented, seldom meeting those who volunteer on different days or at different properties etc. so it can be difficult to know what the general view is. Intentionally or not the Trust is in a position to divide and rule. 

In my view, the Trust treats its volunteers too much like unpaid employees and not enough like (in some cases significant) donors to a charity, although I don't think most of us would want to make too much of the latter aspect.

I wish Restore Trust every success in achieving its aims as, in my experience, external pressure can be successful.

I would prefer this not to be published under my name as I am a volunteer and have absolutely no quarrel with my line manager who has built up a team of which I am proud to be a member. I am not quite so enthusiastic about higher levels of management or what seems to be the ethos at national level.

Anon.
National Trust volunteer