Claire Bryant, who resigned as kitchen gardener at Chartwell in 2018, was awarded £49,000 by an employment tribunal. The tribunal ruled that she was constructively dismissed by the National Trust and was a victim of ‘unconscious bias’ when she failed in her application for the position of senior gardener, Surrey Live reports. Ms Bryant started working for the National Trust as a garden volunteer in 2018. She told Surrey Live, ‘I can honestly say, I have never been closer to a complete nervous breakdown than I have through the last three years. It has been horrendous, absolutely horrendous.

‘It has really knocked every ounce of confidence I have got, but for me, it has never, ever been about the money. It's about being able to stand up for yourself. I wouldn't want any of my family, or anybody's family, to have to go through this.’

During the interview process Ms Bryant said she felt ‘humiliated’ in front of members of the public.

She said that problems first arose in 2017 when she defended volunteers who took extended tea breaks during their eight-hour shifts against complaints from senior staff.