The National Trust hierarchy

Dear Editor,

Visiting a number of NT houses and gardens in the last few months, during which I made a point of talking to as many volunteers and officials as possible, I was struck by the following:

1. The dedication, work, and knowledge of volunteers and the time they give.

2. None of the volunteers had a good word to say about the "hierarchy". The separation was palpable – almost feudal, with a definite 'them and us': "We just do as we're told" or "we ignore them".

3. It was interesting that the young officials, presumably recent university graduates, were very much in favour of any initiative that prompted diversity and diversity training – "really important" – but had, in my view, little experience and training in managing and looking after volunteers, especially older ones.

I'd be interested to know how much is spent by National Trust management on ideology such as institutional racism, and how much is spent on Trust-based issues such as management and leadership.

Peter Barnard
Bushey, Hertfordshire