A Volunteer Speaks
A personal reflection on recent events
It is sometimes said that the National Trust is an old people’s organization and it is undoubtedly the case that amongst those who volunteer, the demographic is elderly, perhaps understandably, given that most younger people have jobs to do and families to raise. What tends to unite the volunteer brigade is a sense of love for a place and the fellowship that springs up amongst them. I have been volunteering for years and it is rare to meet a volunteer who doesn’t feel that way.
The relationship between the volunteers and the Trust is a symbiotic one, for the properties and lands that lie within its stewardship are expensive to maintain and it is hard to see how it could continue to function without the devotion of that band of brothers and sisters. This is understandable, given that most of the property that the Trust administers has been handed over to it for that precise reason. The cost of upkeep and preservation doesn’t significantly reduce because there has been a change of ownership, whilst the need to make the properties as accessible as possible to the public, on whose behalf the Trust operates, also comes at a cost that the original owners did not incur.
The pandemic has posed a big problem for the organization, for whilst its balance sheets read as though it has bags of money, most of it is ring-fenced, tied to a particular property or project by the donors or the terms of an endowment. Properties have had to close, at least partially, during the Covid crisis and the drop in income, not just from subscriptions but from cafes, shops and events, has been an enormous financial blow. The result has been staff redundancies and, even when the crisis is over, it will take a while to build up again.
Visiting is restricted at the present time and many volunteers, especially those who work inside buildings, have also been laid off. Many of us have kept in touch with each other and the Trust itself sends updates to keep us informed about what is happening at both national and local level. Like any large organisation, the Trust tends to be top-down in its managerial style and, whilst a certain amount of localism exists, the present crisis will probably whittle away a bit more of that. That can be a frustration for some volunteers, not least when the decision-making appears to be tone-deaf or the received wisdom is not much appreciated. Mutiny amongst the volunteer body is rare, although muttering is not: usually, the love of a place and its history conquers the annoyance or the exasperation.
The other major issue that has hit the Trust during the crisis has been the re-thinking of the collections in the light of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests. It is difficult, for the Trust and its volunteers are not just seen as a grey organisation, but as a predominantly white one. The Trust most certainly does need to hold its treasures for everyone in Britain, not just those of a certain age or skin colour, and great strides have been made over the last 20 years to try to make its buildings and collections more accessible to those who might feel left out. It is more difficult to accommodate those who feel that everything should be interpreted through the lens of race or that everything that represents Britain’s heritage for the last five centuries needs to be ‘decolonised.’
It is not unfair to address the issue of slavery or to make sure that the story is told in a balanced and considered way. It is the undoubted case that some properties were built from the direct proceeds of slavery or wealth amassed through colonialism, (something that could also be said of many other cultures, including African and Asian ones). However, slogans such as ‘abolish whiteness’ or demands for removal or destruction of national assets may not hold much appeal for many of the Trust’s supporters. Artefacts, buildings and gardens can stand on their own merits as works of art and people who love history and heritage tend to understand that the past is not all glorious and lovely.
The grand assumption that the grey generation is ignorant of slavery, doesn’t care about prejudice, and only views the British Empire through rose-tinted spectacles, is easy to claim, but not necessarily historically accurate. There’s plenty of evidence, both archival and anecdotal, that our generation has a very good grasp of all these issues, just as we might have a fair understanding of the wrongs and rights of our heritage. We’ve been around a long time and we’ve seen a thing or two. In my experience, stupidity, ignorance and heartlessness are not the most common qualities to be found in either the visitors or the volunteers of the National Trust.
The Trust has spent a lot of time trying to address the issues of its demographic, to try to broaden its appeal and be more inclusive. Britain has a chequered past and that’s how all pasts were. We can both celebrate it and deplore it without needing to destroy it or hide it. There will be plenty of room for more volunteers at the National Trust and I think that every hand will be welcome when the time comes to build back again. It’s a pity that some people have an urge to destroy, whether it is people or inanimate objects, but the heritage is there for all of us and for the future, so we need to look after it.