One Trust Autumn & Winter 2024

ONEUST

WELCOME TO ONE TRUST

Greetings from the Editorial team

We are delighted to welcome you, our wonderful readers, to a brand-new edition of One Trust magazine. One Trust is published for the people of the Trust. It can easily be downloaded, printed off and shared with colleagues who don’t have regular access to an IT device. We hope you enjoy reading it! And we welcome any feedback so please get in touch: lhighfield@nts.org.uk

Wishing everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! With our best wishes – Lidiya and Sacha.

Message from Phil

WE

HEAR FROM OUR CEO

This edition of One Trust is something of a landmark – it’s not just the final edition of the year, but in fact the final edition in its current form. As I hope many of you know, and have seen, over the past few years we have been working on a wide range of improvements to our internal communications.

We reach a major milestone with this in the new year when we will be launching our new staff intranet. Our aim is that for all staff, the new intranet system will become the one stop shop for all Trust news, information and policies. The new system looks great, is easy to navigate and has a brilliant search function too, which will make finding information so much easier. It also makes it really easy to share the brilliant stories you usually find in these pages and so we will begin doing so immediately.

We know that our volunteers really enjoy reading One Trust so over the coming months we will be evolving this current publication into a new one with a greater focus on our volunteers, their stories and the issues that matter most to them at the Trust. The name and format may change, but our commitment to keeping

‘We

know that our volunteers really enjoy reading One Trust so over the coming months we will be evolving this current publication into a new one with a greater focus on our volunteers.’

our valued volunteers up to date will not, so please look out for news on that in early 2025.

As we approach the end of the year, we can look back with a real sense of achievement. These pages are absolutely packed with accomplishments, projects and inspiration. Thank you to everyone who has contributed stories to this edition, and to everyone for their hard work and commitment this year.

Many thanks to you all.

Phil Long Chief Executive

St Kilda DIARIES

What a year our ambassador Cal Major had! She spent a fair bit of time on St Kilda, volunteering with the seabird team, and created a series of short films about her adventure. You can read some of her reflections below.

St Kilda is a place of superlatives – the UK’s largest puffin colony, highest sea stacks and only dual World Heritage Site. It’s also the wildest and remotest place I’ve been in the British Isles. From the moment I stepped foot onto the islands amidst eider ducks, seals and red knot, I experienced a sense of envelopment into what felt like its very own ecosystem, the wild sounds and sights instantly becoming a part of my being. Despite all of this, St Kilda’s wildlife is facing a number of serious challenges. These are the islands ‘at the edge of the world’, but at the forefront of climate change.

Experiencing St Kilda has been right at the top of my bucket list for a very long time, so the opportunity to spend a month there volunteering with the seabird team felt like a dream come true. The islands are internationally important for their nesting seabirds; and sitting amongst dense fogs of wheeling puffins, hearing the gentle calls of Leach’s storm petrels deep inside boulder fields, and watching impossible aerial displays by arctic skua, it certainly feels like St Kilda is first and foremost a seabird archipelago.

It’s hard to believe that once upon a time not so long ago, there were three times as many fulmars soaring above the cliffs and great skuas nesting on the grassy hills. The seabirds here are under serious pressure from a variety of threats, which the seabird team is working hard to fully understand. Included in that list is thought to be reduced food availability, due to climate change and certain fishing practices, as well as avian influenza, which has had a devastating impact on certain seabirds – two-thirds of the great skua colony was lost in the

outbreak over 2021 and 2022 alone. One of my roles on the island in my veterinary capacity was to work with the seabird team to take samples of great skuas and puffins to ascertain their response to the influenza viruses. This is vitally important work to help us understand how best to navigate that pressure moving forward.

I loved the work with the seabirds, and hiking up St Kilda’s impossibly steep hills with an incredible team comprising Craig (St Kilda’s Marine and Seabird Ranger) and Liz and James (two very knowledgeable ecologists). We had special licences to allow the work to be carried out, and had undertaken additional training so that disturbance to the birds was kept to a minimum. I learnt so much from the team and reveled in being around the birds themselves.

The great skua were wonderful to work with – large, brown and white seabirds who have gained the nickname ‘pirates of the sea’ on account of their kleptoparisitism, whereby they hassle other seabirds until they drop the food they’ve caught, then steal it for themselves. I think they’re amazing birds, highly adapted to living in close proximity to other seabirds and doing their best to survive in a challenging landscape. Working with them up close and seeing their tiny fluffy chicks and the protectiveness that the birds have for their nests, left me with a real fondness for them. Scotland is home to the majority of the world’s population of great skuas, and I found myself rooting for them to recover their numbers in spite of the tough years they’ve had.

My behind-the-scenes experience of this phenomenally special place has given me a humbling appreciation of all the work that goes on by a passionately dedicated team to protect the seabirds here. Amid all the pressures they’re under, the team work day in, day out to keep this seemingly effortlessly epic place as a haven for seabirds to return to, year on year.

PROJECTS

Our regular update on the Trust’s major strategic projects

FYVIE CASTLE

You may have seen media coverage of the Fyvie Castle project in the autumn, which is one of our priority projects for the coming years. Fyvie is an exceptional property, soaked in over 800 years of history, in that time serving as a royal stronghold, a nursery for the infant Charles I and the focal point of a civil war battle in 1644.

Latterly, it became the property of Alexander Forbes-Leith, born local to the area, and who became phenomenally wealthy through ownership of the Illinois Steel Company, and amassed the exceptional art collection that you can enjoy there today. So outstanding is this that it was the subject of a special exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland at the time of the Trust taking responsibility for the property.

We have now taken on full ownership of the B-Listed Old Home Farm within the castle’s 123 acres of landscaped grounds. Works are under way to stabilise the dilapidated structure – currently on the National Buildings at Risk Register - and there are numerous options being considered for how we best use these lovely buildings in the future, including an orientation and interpretation hub and cafe. The overall aim though is to provide the visitor facilities that Fyvie, as one of Scotland’s largest, oldest and most impressive castles, deserves. To support this, we are submitting an application to Historic Environment Scotland for funding via their Historic Environment Grants scheme and we hope to hear about that soon.

To help us develop the masterplan, we’ve appointed Page Park Architects. By summer 2025 we expect to have a comprehensive

document to inform future investment in conservation, storytelling, engagement and enhanced visitor facilities. Ahead of that we will have completed the restoration of the Edwardian Racquets Court, which was so badly damaged in storms two years ago.

Another initiative underway at Fyvie is community engagement activity supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. So far, this has included an event for people with additional support needs and their carers, visits to the castle and grounds for community groups to take part in creative and wellbeing workshops, and health walks around the loch. Relationships with community groups, the public and third sector organisations, will be vital as we develop the masterplan and fulfil Fyvie’s full potential.

‘The overall aim though is to provide the visitor facilities that Fyvie, as one of Scotland’s largest, oldest and most impressive castles, deserves.’

STAFFA JETTY AND LANDING AREA

We were pleased that, after months of planning, our contractors made it out to Staffa to set up the site for the works to the jetty. To say that the working conditions on this project are challenging is an understatement and no sooner did the work begin than high seas put a stop to it for a few weeks. We have had to think creatively about how best to carry out the works which once completed will improve the visitor infrastructure on Staffa in a holistic way to protect its nature, beauty and heritage and to provide visitors with a great experience.

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES PROJECT

Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project is helping us explore how we reach diverse communities and improve our understanding of the wellbeing benefits of engaging with heritage.

The Engaging Communities team is now eleven months into the project and, having consulted with communities, has been piloting engagement activities at each property. Activities have included wellbeing walks at Fyvie Castle, a family fun day at the Hill House, artist-led workshops at the Tenement House, and a residential weekend for young people in Torridon.

Engaging Communities is about trying different approaches and discovering what works. The team is sharing what they learn through regular blog posts on SharePoint, including downloadable resources to support activity across the Trust. Topics covered include how to get to know your community, building community partnerships, creating inclusive and accessible experiences, engaging young people, and creative participation.

To find out more about Engaging Communities, please visit: Engaging Communities Project.

‘... the team have inventoried over 81,000 living plant accessions across our gardens...’

PLANTS PROJECT

Plant Listing at the National Trust for Scotland (PLANTS) project is approaching the end of its threeyear timeframe. PLANTS was created to conduct an inventory of the plant collections held within our gardens and designed landscapes and update the data on our plant records database, IrisBG.

The aim is to create an up-to-date database to ensure legal compliance and to use it as a management tool going forwards.

At this stage in the project, the team have inventoried over 81,000 living plant accessions across our gardens and processed over 150,000 accession records of current and past plants. We have made amazing discoveries ranging from critically endangered conifer species at Crathes and Inverewe, to a unique apple cultivar growing on Canna. We now know we grow over 700 different Narcissus (daffodil) cultivars across our gardens and 400 different rose cultivars in our collections. This information will be vital for the Trust’s future conservation, planning and visitor engagement activities.

NEW WAYS OF WORKING

A consultation on the proposed move from Hermiston Quay began in October, with the plan being to move nearby to a new office at Broadstone, 50 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh.

The space is smaller and flexible with good transport links. Meanwhile, hubs are now up and running at Balnain House, Inverness, Branklyn Garden, Perth, Sailors’ Walk, Kirkcaldy, Georgian House, Edinburgh and the North East Regional Office, Banchory. You can find booking information on the New Ways of Working sharepoint site

INSPIRATIONAL STORIES YOUR

from across the Trust

We hand over the baton to you, our readers, and to your team members to share your insights and reflections.

THE TEAM AT GREENBANK GARDEN

There is something to entertain everyone in our garden, whether you are a dog walker walking through the woodland, a regular visitor at the cafe, a gardening enthusiast, a member visiting the garden, or anyone attending the regular events.

Green spaces and gardens have shown to have a wide range of health benefits, both mental and physical. It is our goal to make the garden accessible and relevant to as many people as possible. The gardens and visitor services teams work together in different ways to accomplish the same goal.

Our gardeners not only ensure the garden looks beautiful but consider environmental challenges as well, while our visitor services team work hard to keep the garden and the wider property attractive to visitors and members. With biochar and rock dust trials and battery-powered tools to beehives and bird boxes, we are dedicated to sustainability.

Greenbank is well known for the variety of daffodil bulbs on display in Spring. During our current fundraising program, Donate a Daffodil, we aim to replenish the volume of bulbs that have depleted over time. Approximately 12,000 bulbs were planted in October, and this 3-year project will restore stunning daffodil banks at the entrance, woodland, and garden. £7000 has been raised so far (thanks to Fundraising team for all the support).

Our popular cafe and woodland are open yearround. A variety of events are held throughout the year to attract different types of visitors. Every year, we plan Easter trails, outdoor theatre, elf and faery festival, music events and outdoor cinema, as well as Halloween and Santa's visit at Christmas.

A new feature this year is our monthly outdoor markets. Their focus on local suppliers and makers has made them particularly popular. During its run from March through December, it is a favourite with both old and new visitors.

We have 2 beehives on site and tasted the first Greenbank honey this year. We hope to be able to sell some in the shop in the future. And we are planning to move away from artificial fertilisers.

Our team were thrilled to find out we had been selected for the location of a film shoot. The property closed for a couple of days to allow the filming to take place. We can’t say much more but will let people know next summer when you will be able to see us on screen!

Reflecting on the past year, we can see that it has become increasingly important to make the garden and property available to the local and wider community. Engaging with communities is at the core of what we do. We’re privileged to be a part of our members’ and visitors' daily routines. Moving toward 2025, we will continue to explore developments within the garden, opportunities to grow our existing visitor programme, and partnerships that reflect our values.

DEVAN LA BRASH COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

As I finish my sixth month with the Trust, it’s the perfect time to reflect on all I’ve learned and experienced so far.

Although I’ve been a member of the Trust for over a decade, many of our places were completely new to me. And there were others I hadn’t visited for several years - I last went to the House of the Binns in 2013, and Culloden in 2004! This meant that I could approach each visit with a fresh perspective and experience these properties in the same way our visitors do. Extremely helpful when part of my role is communicating why people should visit and what makes our places so special.

What has struck me most is the dedication and commitment of each person within the Trust to making it the best it can be. I’m sure at times it might not feel this way but coming from a consulting career, mostly in the corporate world, the enthusiasm I have seen from volunteers and VSAs through to the regional teams and the colleagues I work with daily in central services has been inspiring.

There is a real passion for protecting our places and creating wonderful experiences for members and visitors. While we may use numbers as benchmarks and goals, it feels like people and heritage are really at the heart of everything we do.

And as someone who chose to make my home in Scotland, I’m so glad that the Trust exists to care for these places and preserve this wonderful country for all of us to enjoy. I’m very proud to work here, and my first six months have confirmed that I’ve made a good decision. I can’t wait for the next six months and beyond.

YOUR INSPIRATIONAL STORIES FROM ACROSS THE TRUST

LAURENCE

DAGUIN

HEAD GARDENER, DRUM CASTLE

Reflecting on 2024, this year marks undoubtedly the end of Covid recovery and the beginning of a new era.

For many, the lockdown challenge has been an eye opener, showing the need to be in our gardens and being in contact with nature in general. I think people are now more aware and grateful for all that is available on their doorstep and that we provide. The constant increasing popularity of our properties is a direct sign of that necessary recovery but also a change in perception of the outdoors. We do see a lot more people visiting our gardens, coming back monthly and looking for that sublime constant change that they hold, like a self-regenerating treasure. We need to keep on developing and growing them, to feed this unprecedented appetite for nature and beauty.

JEFF WADDELL

HEAD OF NATURE CONSERVATION

A key milestone for me was the launch of the Trust’s Plan for Nature in May after a tremendous amount of support and work from colleagues across the Trust.

The formation of the National Nature Steering Group was also significant for progressing and supporting our nature work in 2024. I enjoyed seeing some of our priority species responding to good management, such as 14 calling corncrake on Canna. On a personal level, I enjoyed the nature experiences of our places and sharing those with colleagues, from being in an electrical storm high above Glencoe, to the ambience of a mild September evening with bat sounds and a nocturnal pygmy shrew at Culzean to exploring the very remote and rugged north sea braes of Fair Isle on a gorgeous summer day, looking over to Foula after a cloudy week on the island.

YOUR INSPIRATIONAL STORIES FROM ACROSS THE TRUST

DOUG KYLE

VISITORS

SERVICES MANAGER, CRATHES CASTLE

Over the last year the Crathes Team have worked really hard to foster and encourage a One Estate mindset, with multiple examples of different departments working shoulder to shoulder to deliver some fantastic visitor service, projects and strides! Whether it was helping with storm damage and snow clearing in winter or more in-depth daily projects in summer, the One Team has never been stronger. Our amazing Collection Care volunteers in the castle worked with our gardening teams to introduce real flowers into the High Hall – following proper conservation methods as well as historical accuracy, a variable selection of flowers are on display, brightening up the stunning space! They continued this relationship by drying out Crathes grown lavender to introduce historically accurate smells in several rooms!

The Crathes Green Team organised staff quizzes, summer BBQ, walks, filming and even took part in the Aberdeen Kilt Walk in June raising over £900 for the Trust! We worked closely with the North East Rangers to deliver a few school engagement activities focusing on the nature of Crathes. Our Function and Events manager Dave and I also fostered a relationship with a local farm to create and deliver a unique experience of venturing around the less explored part of Crathes by horse and cart, and we delivered a thoroughly engaging talk on the 9000-year ecological history of the Estate!

In November, we ran our first Wild Tales and Teas, an exclusive talk on folklore of the North East, followed by an afternoon tea - all delivered in-house by our amazing teams! Across the year, staff and volunteers have helped to deliver some amazing visitor service stories, with Crathes achieving the highest ever result in a Mystery Visit survey, not to mention helping to put on a hugely successful Easter Trail, Family Fun Weekend, Running Festival and Halloween Events! I am incredibly proud of #TeamCrathes.

UPDATES FUNDRAISING

OUR WINTER APPEALS

We’re aiming to raise £130,000 to support the essential repairs and preservation of two iconic buildings tied to Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns: Bachelors’ Club and Souter Johnnie’s Cottage.

These are important sites for Scotland’s cultural heritage and in how they represent 18th century Ayrshire. Both buildings are deteriorating, with cracked brickwork, damaged mortar, and moisturedamaged interiors. The situation has been worsened by increasing rainfall, with a projected 11% rise in annual precipitation further accelerating the decay.

‘Restoration work is planned for 2025, focusing on stripping damaged masonry paint and plaster...’

Restoration work is planned for 2025, focusing on stripping damaged masonry paint and plaster, repointing and reharling their exteriors and replacing interior plaster. Preserving these landmarks is essential for maintaining our cultural heritage and for ensuring that future generations can continue to connect with the life and legacy of Robert Burns.

CELEBRATING 200 YEARS OF THE GLENLIVET

This year marks the 200th anniversary of our corporate partner The Glenlivet, and we’re delighted to be part of the celebrations. The Glenlivet has funded our Pioneering Spirit project for four years, allowing us to uncover the stories and sites of illicit whisky production across Scotland – deepening our understanding of our places and the origins of Scotch whisky and its place in our country’s cultural heritage.

In September, our Archaeology Team conducted a week-long dig at The Glenlivet’s original Speyside distillery site and welcomed guests from The Glenlivet and across the whisky sector and media. Derek Alexander and The Glenlivet’s Archivist, Robert Athol, conducted talks and tours of the dig site, to share our discoveries and encourage further interest and support for our partnership.

The celebrations continued at a special evening event hosted in The Glenlivet’s still room, where an ultra-rare 55-year-old single malt, 200th anniversary edition whisky was unveiled. Presented in a custom decanter embellished with peridot gemstones, it sits

PROTECTING SCOTLAND’S NATURAL HERITAGE

This appeal is dedicated to raising awareness and funds to protect Scotland’s wild landscapes, which are increasingly threatened by climate change. Using Mar Lodge Estate as a case study, we show the immediate need to safeguard Scotland’s natural environments.

in a sculpture crafted with emerald quartzite and 24 carat gold by computational architect Michael Hansmeyer. This extremely special bottle of whisky was then auctioned by Sotheby’s, attracting international attention, raising £52,500 to support our conservation work. For more information about the partnership contact Corporate Partnerships Manager Jenny Black jblack@nts.org.uk.

An alarming indicator of climate change is the rapid melting of the Sphinx, Britain’s longest-lasting snow patch, located within the estate. Although it has melted only ten times in 300 years, five of those instances have occurred in the past decade. This melting is emblematic of broader environmental shifts, with diminished snow cover severely affecting wildlife like mountain hares and salmon, whose habitats are being altered by rising temperatures and changing conditions. The appeal highlights ongoing

NATIONAL LOTTERY AT 30

Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £30 million is raised every week for good causes. To mark its 30th birthday, the National Lottery is running a show-stopping campaign to celebrate the game-changing impact they have helped organisations deliver to inspire the next generation of good causes and players. In celebration of the support we have received and the transformational impact the lottery has delivered over 30 years we have shared thanks, congratulations, and stories across our channels.

We are probably most aware of support received for Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Bannockburn and more recently Mackintosh at The Willow and our Engaging Communities project. Shaila Rao, our Conservation Manager at Mar Lodge Estate, shared how vital funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has had a significant impact on Scottish wildlife, you can read her article: The wild transformation of Mar Lodge.

On 19 November, the actual birthday, our central social media channels posted happy birthday messages! And we’ll be in touch about plans to participate in National Lottery Open Week which will take place between 15 and 23 March 2025. For information on how you can get involved please contact fundraising@nts.org.uk.

HOOLIE AT THE HYDRO

Scotland’s biggest night of traditional music, Hoolie in the Hydro, returned to Glasgow’s iconic OVO Hydro on Saturday 7 December 2024 and for the first time will take place at the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York on 5 April 2025 – and we are thrilled to be the charity partner of both events.

The partnership showcases Scotland’s rich musical heritage, with renowned Scottish musicians, Duncan Chisolm and Euan Henderson, visiting the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in November and learning about the Gregg fiddle’s intricacies and history before performing on the stage at the Hydro. The Gregg fiddle will then follow onto the United States to be included in the Carnegie Hall event.

Alongside the appearance of the Gregg fiddle, National Trust for Scotland will provide multiple touch points with both our own and the Hoolie audience to further engage guests in musical heritage. This includes an online musical heritage trail and social quizzes and a ticket competition in the runup to the event.

At the Hydro on the day of the event, there was Trust information on screens around the venue to encourage donations and engagement with our content. There was a team of volunteers who collected donations as well as a stall where concertgoers were able to engage with our team.

PATRONS’ CLUB WEEKEND

In recognition of the continual support of our Patrons’ Club members, we hosted our annual Patrons’ Club Weekend from 31 October to 2 November in Edinburgh.

Kickstarting the weekend, National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA hosted visits to Araminta Campbell’s Atelier and Bard Scotland before the boarding Fingal for an evening reception to thank and the celebrate support received by the Foundation in their support of our charity.

Over four days our Patrons’ Club members embarked on a carefully curated tour of several Trust properties, meeting staff and subject experts, hearing about our achievements and ambitions – enjoying the opportunity to go ‘behind the scenes’ of our charity which they so generously support.

We visited Hill of Tarvit, Newhailes, Gladstones Land, Ramsay Gardens and House of the Binns. The group visited Dovecot Studios for a viewing of the STITCHED

exhibition with an introduction from Curator Emma Inglis, as well as enjoying a reception at the Georgian House where we heard about the curation of the Ramsay exhibition by Curator Antonia Laurence Allen as well as getting the opportunity to see the house’s newly acquired visitor books.

The weekend was an excellent opportunity to thank our supporters for their contributions to Trust projects and provide them with updates on our current plans and future ambitions. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved for supporting the trip and engaging with this international collective of friends and donors.

MEMBERSHIP

IT’S A WRAP

As ever, it’s been a busy season for membership! Thank you to everyone across the Trust for a great team effort this season – members join and stay because of the welcome they receive and the great experience you help create.

Across all national and regional activity we have recruited new members - over 26,000 new memberships so far this year; retained over 83% of existing members; and looked after all of our members, who currently total 334,107!

A special shout to colleagues in regions and at properties who truly embody the spirit of the Trust. Everyone has worked very hard all year to ensure visitors have such wonderful experiences that they want to become members and also our current members feel special and valued (and thanks to House of Dun for securing a couple of new Life members!).

And finally, our membership recruitment campaign - which ran from mid-March until early September across TV and digital platforms – has outperformed expectations, putting us in a great position to achieve membership targets by year end.

WINTER IS COMING

While the busiest part of the year is over, work to recruit and retain our members never stops. Focus is shifting to reminding members of the many ways they can continue to enjoy their membership over winter. We’re working hard to tell them about the fabulous experiences they can have at our places in the coming months, as well as reminding them that their membership supports the work we do.

Our winter marketing campaign is underway, with a big focus on gift membership. We’re encouraging members to give the perfect gift to their loved ones this holiday season - gift membership.

Don’t forget that employees of the Trust get a 20% discount on gift membership. You can find details on the next page.

You’ll see our adverts on social media, and we will be ramping up the messaging in December encouraging ‘last minute gifting’ too with more paid-social activity. We will also be running radio ads for Gift Membership this year from the start of December to hit those ‘last minute’ shoppers!

We’d love everyone to help us spread the campaign to as many audiences as possible, so please do share it across your own social media channels!

MEMBERSHIP REVIEW

The first phase of our first ever membership review is coming to an end. During this, we have been doing a lot of research to understand our members, the offer we provide and our opportunities and challenges. This has involved spending time at our properties, holding interviews and workshops with staff and asking members for their thoughts. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. The next phase will be consolidating the findings and producing some recommendations which will enable us to grow membership and contribute more income to the conservation of our places. We will work with colleagues across the Trust to work through some of these recommendations early in the New Year. The findings report will be available in December, please get in touch with Louise Stirton if you are interested to learn more.

WARM WELCOME

A very warm welcome to Emily Boal, who has just started in the role of Supporter Care Manager. Emily joins the Membership/Supporter Care team from Fundraising and has already hit the ground running.

Scan this QR code or click the link here to receive 20% off gift membership

RESOURCES FOR PROPERTIES

There’s a suite of vibrant materials available to display at properties to promote membership to support colleagues to recruit, welcome and help look after members here.

COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES UPDATES

ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR – THANK YOU!

We have had a fantastic year across our enterprise activities, with record-breaking levels of income and net profit again! At the end of October, income reached £18.6m, this is +13% vs budget and an amazing 18% increase compared to last year. With some time still to go, this means that we have already taken more than the entire year last year! Thank you to all our colleagues working to support us, all across the Trust, without your hard work these results wouldn’t have been possible. Gross and net profit are also well ahead of last year showing that our commercial areas are continuing to be delivered in more cost-effective ways.

Average Transaction Values (ATVs) continue to increase in our cafes and shops with food and beverage ATV +9% ahead of last year and retail +6%. This demonstrates that our visitors are spending and buying more. Within Travel Trade, we have delivered

over £1m of income with international visitors back in force this year, particularly across the Highlands & Islands. Holiday refurbishments continue with the latest completed at East Lodge at Crathes Castle with fantastic feedback. Overall occupancy rates are ahead of last year and customer satisfaction is currently sitting at 96%. Thank you to all property teams who work hard to make our guests’ experience memorable.

East Lodge at Crathes Castle

WHAT’S NEW

We launched the Trust’s first Enterprise Strategy in September with a very well attended Townhall, thank you to everyone involved and for all the positive feedback. Our overall vision is to become Scotland’s leading charitable enterprise, supporting the protection of our special places. A reminder of our 8 Strategic Objectives is at the bottom of this page.

We held our annual Food & Beverage Taste of the Trust event at Perth Theatre and Concert Hall in November, with colleagues from across the Trust being engaged on all things Food & Beverage, including workshops, presentations and a fabulous trade show with our suppliers so that colleagues could taste the products and meet them. The feedback from those who attended has been extremely positive, thank you to everyone who came along - it was an amazing atmosphere throughout. There will be updates on our Food & Beverage SharePoint site, with access to all presentations and competitions, and lots of images!

We were also delighted to win an award at the Scottish Gin Awards, where we received special recognition for brand extension for the amazing Pink Castle Gin. Gaining this prestigious recognition is a fantastic achievement for all!

THE TRUST’S FIRST ENTERPRISE STRATEGY

To become Scotland’s leading charitable enterprise, supporting the protection of our special places.

CONSERVATION

Caring for Scotland’s special places

Invest wisely in our commercial space, to deliver sector leading standards add experiences

ENGAGEMENT

Providing access and enjoyment for everyone

Curate ranges, products and experiences that tell the stories of our places, promote our conservation work and demonstrate exceptional ethical standards

Create communities of local suppliers, showcasing Scottish talent, craft, and innovation

Understand our audiences and attract new, diverse supporters, making everyone feel valued and represented through our commercial experiences

SUSTAINABILITY

Being a sustainable charity

Growing our commercial income to over £25m with increased profit across the next 5 years

Develop new, innovative and sector leading income streams

Gain a deep understanding of our carbon footprint to support and contribute to the Trust’s goal of being carbon negative by 2031

Develop a talent pipeline, offering clear commercial career paths and sector leading learning and development opportunities.

Alex Miller and Gemma McQue at the Scottish Gin Awards ceremony

UPDATES

POLICY

UPDATED CONTROL OF VERTEBRATES POLICY

ExCo have approved an updated Control of Vertebrates Policy for the Trust. This policy outlines the circumstances under which vertebrates can be controlled on Trust land.

It stresses that we are first and foremost a conservation organisation, protecting species of conservation concern, in particular those outlined in our Plan for Nature. We believe that where populations of wild animals need to be managed, non-lethal methods of control will always be the preferred option and lethal control will only be carried out in exceptional circumstances where a threat is posed to our conservation objectives. There have been some key updates including a shorter list of species identified as currently being controlled on site and a Register of Active Vertebrate Control has now been established and is maintained by the National Nature Steering Group (NNSG). In addition, there is now a new process for any species not listed within the new policy. If any non-listed species is identified as cause for concern, the NNSG should be contacted in the first instance for advice and a final decision on how to proceed. As before, any decisions regarding deer should always be made with reference to the Deer Management Policy. This is currently being updated, so look out for more information on this soon.

WORKING ON OFFSHORE WIND

The last few years have seen a marked increase in planning applications for offshore windfarms. The Trust has been working to monitor these and ensure that offshore windfarms are located in the right place, and at the right scale, for nature.

Recently, we have commented on planning applications and had conversations with developers about Ossian Offshore Windfarm and Spiorad Na Mara Offshore Windfarm, as both of these developments would have a significant impact on the seabirds we care for. We were pleased that our comments about the seabird colonies that should be included in the environmental impact assessment for Spiorad Na Mara were taken on board by the developer and we will continue to work constructively to ensure offshore renewables deliver for nature.

CALLING FOR MORE MARINE PROTECTION

We have recently responded to the Scottish Government consultation on the level of protection that should be applied to Scotland’s offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

We have been calling for enhanced protections for years so we are very pleased to have the opportunity to influence this decision. We want the Scottish Government to deliver the highest level of protection they have proposed - banning mobile (and sometimes static) bottom towed fishing gear- as this will allow our seabed habitats to recover, enabling the restoration of fish nurseries and important marine habitats like cold water coral reefs and burrowed mud. In turn, this will support seabird colonies by helping increase prey availability and help mitigate climate change as Scotland’s offshore MPAs hold 1.92million tonnes of carbon.

METRES OF ARCHIVES REVIEWED

The Archives Review Project continues to support conservation of our archives and corporate memory. Over the past year, the team completed surveys of over 1,350 linear metres of material across 12 sites and developed a draft Archive Strategy following consultation across the Trust.

With changes in use of spaces across our sites in progress, the project is preparing the archive to move, as well as developing systems and processes for managing digital archival records. So far, this work has prepared over 5,500kg of boxes to move out of Hermiston Quay and assessed over 750,000 digital files. For more information contact Fiona Doran.

DIGGING INTO DIGITAL ARCHIVES

The Archives Review Project is assessing the content, service delivery, and storage of our corporate archive, and a core part of this work is the Digital Archives Review. This takes place largely behind the scenes, so we’d like to share our recent work to uncover, appraise and preserve the Trust’s digital archives.

Over the past 18 months we have surveyed nearly 6TB of digital material transferred to the corporate archive. A forensic workstation PC has been established, allowing archivists to review material stored on obsolete media like CDs, DVDs and floppy disks in a safe, isolated environment. This material is listed and transferred off these formats to secure storage ready for archival appraisal, cataloguing and transfer to the new digital preservation system. It is essential to carry out this work urgently as this media is highly susceptible to corruption due to media and data degradation.

So far, over 2,700 CDs and DVDs have been reviewed and transferred, as well as material from the archive’s existing storage media – a total of over 750,000 files and 350 unique file formats. This work is just the first stage in the archive’s planned digital preservation work but has already facilitated use of these previously less accessible records by colleagues across the Trust.

A new digital preservation policy has also been drafted and will be shared in due course. In addition, all digital archive processes are being documented for easy reference by members of the team. A digital preservation system will be established, with records transferred into it gradually in the following months. This will help automate some digital preservation activities, store the Trust’s digital archives securely and help provide access to them well into the future. If you have any questions, please contact Digital Archivist Rachel Bracha.

UPDATES

CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITY

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT GROUP MEMBERS

This edition continues with our profile on members of the Climate and Environment Group.

Jenny Neville, Head of Procurement:

My role is Head of Procurement for the Trust. We are here to get best value for money when the Trust engages with our suppliers. ‘Best value’ is the optimum combination of cost, quality and environmental sustainability to meet the Trust’s requirements.

Our work involves everything from developing strategy and policy for procurement, tendering for bigger contracts, helping to manage key contracts, providing advice and help on procurement related matters to setting up new suppliers on the finance system. Everything we buy - goods, services and works - contributes to the Trust’s carbon footprint, and our supply chain is one of the biggest components of our overall emissions.

We all have our part to play in reducing our carbon emissions, so I was very pleased to be asked to join the Climate and Environment Group. I’m excited to be working with the group to help reach our strategic objective and carbon negative by 2031. I’m so interested in this area that I have recently completed an Open University course on Climate Change to try to expand my knowledge – which I would recommend to others.

A recent photo of the Climate and Environment Group at West Moss-side Organic Farm understanding the importance of peatland and its role in mitigating the climate crisis.

From left to right: Tara Crooke, Andrew McIntyre, Stuart Brooks, Alan Barrow, Harriet Cross, Jenny Neville, Sandrine Contier- Lawrie, Willy Inglis.

SUPPORTING SUPPLIER SUSTAINABILITY WITH RETAIL

In September, the National Retail Team and members of the Retail Forum hosted the Trust’s first ever Supplier Engagement Event with more than 30 suppliers attending. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to discuss how, together, we can accelerate our sustainability journey.

We were inspired by the passion in the room and feel confident that the seeds planted will start to grow into fully formed ideas and actions that move us closer towards achieving our sustainability objectives. Since the event we have received a lot of great feedback and many updates on positive changes they are all making, from appointing Eco Champions within their companies to making significant changes to packaging – including one of our biggest suppliers which will result in the removal of over 7000 plastic bags from our supply chain in 2025-26.

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT POLICY APPROVED

The Climate and Environment Policy which was consulted on this year has been approved by the Board and ExCo. It provides a framework for managing our environmental impacts and reaching our carbon targets.

Read the Climate and Environment Policy

While the policy outlines many commitments for us to achieve this, it is centered around six Environmental Principles to help categorise action.

We are developing plans to implement the new policy. Please email Environment and Climate Change Manager Harriet Cross if you are interested in further details.

The team is also expanding to include a new Climate and Environment Officer who will be taking up this new role in January 2025.

The team is also expanding to include Sarah Magee as the new Climate and Environment Officer. She will be taking up this role in January 2025.

Protection and restoration (Nature based solutions)

Reduction

(Reduce emissions and resource use, carbon targets)

Compliance

(Meet environmental obligations and legislation)

Measuring, reporting and improving (Measure baseline and improve environmental reporting - set targets)

Building resilience

(Put plans in place to manage climate impacts/ be proactive)

Supporting, engaging & influencing (Guidance/training/partnerships)

Together in Thanks Volunteer Tea Parties

As we approach the end of the year, we are reminded of the countless contributions our volunteers make across the National Trust for Scotland, which we celebrated through a series of tea parties held from September to December. These events were organised by managers, bringing together our volunteer community and staff members from around the Trust.

Guests were treated to tea, cake and the warm hospitality of property teams. We also had the honour of presenting long service awards to volunteers who have dedicated years to the Trust.

Our President, Jackie Bird, attended multiple tea parties and spoke with volunteers, personally thanking them for their passion and support. A memorable moment at one of the events was when Operations Manager Cara Stewart shared a poem she had written, which drew enthusiastic applause, serving as a tribute to the impact of our volunteers’ work.

Across the Trust, our volunteers have contributed to our conservation efforts, projects, events, and daily operations, enabling us to look after our places and provide memorable experiences for our members and visitors.

Our tea parties were opportunities to express a well-deserved “thank you”, take stock of what we’ve achieved and look ahead to the future.

We hope you enjoy reading the poem which Cara Stewart, Operations Manager, Forth Valley and North Perthshire, wrote and recited to the team of volunteers at Branklyn Garden at this year’s volunteer tea party.

To Our Wonderful Volunteers

In gardens where colours bloom and thrive, You lend your hands, bring life alive. With every plant and gentle care, You grow a beauty rare and fair.

Among old walls with stories told, You keep our heritage bright and bold. With careful hands, you guard our past, Ensuring memories long will last.

In fields and forests, wild and free, You work to keep the earth in glee. Protecting nature, every tree, Our world is better – thanks to thee.

You give your time, your heart, your cheer, With every season, every year. For all you do, so strong and true, We’re endlessly grateful for each of you.

Thank you, dear volunteers – please know, Because of you, we thrive and grow.

I hope this poem expresses our appreciation and brings a smile to your faces.

LONG SERVICE CELEBRATING

Many of our people have dedicated much of their life to the Trust, helping to care for the places we love. We have two wonderful stories to share with you.

Carol Marriott

Gardening volunteer, Drum Castle

I enjoyed visiting my local Trust property, Drum Castle and gardens, for many years. When I retired, I decided to volunteer there - I’d also found some Irvings from the Borders in my ancestry in the 1700s, but sadly not from the Drum Castle line! The gardens were a natural choice for me because I love the outdoors and anything to do with plants. And 15 years later I’m still enjoying it!

Over the years I’ve helped with many tasks: plant propagation from seeds and division, pruning and feeding roses, dealing with overgrown shrubs and trees and replanting areas, to name a few. There’s always the hard work of weeding to be done, and leaf clearing in the autumn, but so satisfying to see our composted weeds and leaf mould turn into our own growing medium.

We have a skilled and happy team with the Trust gardeners and volunteers. This year’s team projects included continued development of replanting in the 19th and 20th century gardens and the completion of a new natural and sustainable play area created using storm-felled trees from Drum estate. It’s a delight to see kids having adventures there.

It’s been a great privilege to have made an input into the seasonal changes in the garden and wider estate, and its development over the years.

Carol and Alex at Drum Castle garden

Sheonagh Martin

Visitor Services Manager, The Georgian House Sheonagh has been working at the Trust for over 25 years. From a seasonal temporary role to Visitor Services Manager, her journey has been amazing. She kindly agreed to share her story with us.

When did you join the Trust and what do you remember about that very first role?

I joined the Trust in October 1997 - as a volunteer in the Georgian House! I helped out every fortnight in the shop in the run up to Christmas. I remember the cold of the basement and the friendliness of the staff and volunteers. Both are still true today!

I became an employee in March 1998. I was a parttime seasonal assistant and fully expected to leave at the end of October when the house closed. My memories of that first year? Getting to know the volunteers - there were over 200 then - so many names and faces - and it took me a good few months to match the two! I had to learn the art of volunteer management very quickly and I know that I didn’t always get it right. But it was all part of me developing in the job. I also remember taking charge of the schools programme and running the school visits with the help of around 15 volunteers. This is a part of the job that I still love.

Tell us about your journey with the Georgian House and why you love it?

Little did I know that I would still be working for the Trust at the Georgian House 26 years later. The time has flown by. I became the senior assistant (supervisor role today) in November 1998, was promoted to assistant manager in 2002, interviewed successfully for the job of Property Manager in 2005, and interviewed for and was appointed Visitor Services Manager in 2018.

It is difficult to pick key highlights as there have been so many. The school’s programme because it inspires the next generation. Living history when we put on fully scripted costumed tours of the house which I wrote with the help of the volunteer actors and directed for many years - showed the house in a totally different way and encouraged people to return. The house achieving a 5-star grading from Visit Scotland in 2014 and keeping it thereafter. This was a major achievement as it depended on everyone - all staff and many volunteers offering five-star service. More recently, our Santa Experience introduced in 2021 has encouraged families to visit and enjoy the house in a different way.

History drew me to the Georgian House initially as it fitted with what I had studied at university which meant I knew a lot about the period and what was going on in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain etc. at the time. It’s important to give the house context and my studies helped me do that not just for me but for staff and volunteers.

I love the elegance of the house and the fact that it has been authentically restored, furnished and equipped to show life in late 18th and early 19th century Edinburgh. In many ways the rooms are a series of stage sets which we use to tell stories with themes. An object can also be used to tell stories from different perspectives, and these make us more inclusive and relevant for a modern audience.

Finally, I love the people I work with. The staff and volunteers are passionate and enthusiastic which comes through in their engagement with visitors. We have lots of wonderful objects, but it is the staff and volunteers who are our biggest asset as it is them who bring the house alive for visitors and make their experience so special.

I have two collection favourites: the square piano made in Edinburgh in 1802 and the medicine chest which dates to 1830 and was made in George Street.

Tell us more about your team?

The staff team are superb, and with different skill sets we complement each other which makes for a good balance. Telling stories from different perspectives is important to all of us and recent research has resulted in tours, events and leaflets which reveal women’s history, LGBTQ+ History, Caribbean connections, the darker side of Edinburgh history, and for Christmas our Fire and Light tour focusing on Yule traditions. We are so lucky to have staff who are keen to research and write, making the house more inclusive and more vibrant. And they also boost our income!

What have been the best moments of 2024?

Visitor numbers getting closer to pre-pandemic levels. A 100% mystery visit score and another two of 96.5% are testimony to the value we all place on visitor engagement and creating a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. The Allan Ramsay and Edinburgh Fashion exhibition has brought many members back to visit us. On display is a fabulous 1760s sack back gown and a 1740s embroidered apron, both from the Newhailes textile collection - they have been the highlight for many. The creation of a replica gown which visitors can touch was inspired and was a marvelous opportunity for visitor engagement as it was made by a dress historian and 12 volunteers in front of visitors.

Burke and Burns in January was truly inspiring. It was written and developed by VSS Robbie MacRae and wove the stories of Robert Burns and William Burke together to create a unique tour. The Strange Case of 7 Charlotte Square - Robbie’s genius again - weaving together the stories of Deacon Brodie, Burke and Hare, Halloween traditions and ghostly goings on in the square and house.

Upcoming highlights for me are our Santa Experience which is sold out and our Fire and Light tour by candlelight.

‘I love the elegance of the house and the fact that it has been authentically restored...’

Values Awards 2024 Congratulations to our winners!

This year’s Values Awards ceremony took place at the Mackintosh at the Willow on 6 December. Our Chief Executive Phil Long and President Jackie Bird joined our shortlisted nominees and celebrated together with our winners and representatives from ExCo and the Board. It was a lovely afternoon for all.

NEW FOR 2024

The Sam North Award for Excellence in Health and Safety

We introduced this new annual award to celebrate an exceptional contribution to health and safety at the Trust. We named it the Sam North Award in recognition of Sam’s unique contribution to health and safety culture and leadership at the Trust. Sam sadly passed away earlier this year but her legacy lives on through our commitment to keeping people safe.

Little Oaks Natural Play Area Drum, Aberdeenshire

benefit analysis for Little Oaks and their commitment to the vision that they worked on with Sam are all contributing factors to their success.

The H&S Committee received three other nominations for this award:

Gordon Stewart (Operations Manager, Borders), Amy-Louise Julyan (VSS Operations Culzean), and Plants Project Team North - Philippa Holdsworth, Valeria Soddu and Niki Douglas.

They will all receive a special commendation certificate for being recognised by their colleagues for their contribution to Health & Safety.

TEAM AWARD

The Little Oaks natural play area at Drum is the first of its kind in the Trust. James Henderson and Laurie Cassells originally went on a road trip with Sam to other properties to be inspired by the amazing opportunity children and young people can experience through natural play. From this trip they embraced the concept of natural play, furthering their knowledge through attending Play Scotland seminars and getting a good grounding in a completely different approach of natural play to traditional ‘playpark’ furniture.

James and Laurie advocated the benefits of natural play to visitors at Drum and also to colleagues at the Trust. The site opened in June 2024 and has been a success with local visitors offering something different. The Drum team led by Laurie and James have championed Sam’s health and safety values that she brought to the Trust. Their communication around natural play, the work they did on the risk-

Fyvie Gardening team and Fyvie Garden volunteers

The gardens team at Fyvie has faced numerous challenges over recent months and years, including relentless storm damage which devastated areas of forestry and harmed estate structures and paths. They endured catastrophic damage to the Racquets court, ongoing destruction from heavy vehicles, and the impact of numerous events with heavy marquees. The loss of half the wall to the walled garden, including 20-year-old plum trees, along with months of disruptive building work for urgent stabilisation, has further tested their resilience. Despite challenges our dedicated team of staff and volunteers consistently approach their work with amazing positivity. The team’s passion for Fyvie is evident – volunteers’ hard work is invaluable and the gardens and grounds would not be maintained to such a high standard without them.

BRAVE AWARD

Shaila Rao, Conservation Manager, Mar Lodge Shaila has been at the forefront of the landscapescale restoration of Mar Lodge’s native woodlands, a pioneering project spanning decades and thousands of hectares. Shaila’s dedication, vision and datadriven approach have been crucial to the success of this ambitious, and at times controversial project. Despite previous significant opposition, Shaila’s longterm commitment has brought a dying woodland back to life, setting a powerful example for ecological restoration in Scotland. Her bravery and perseverance have been key to the project’s success, helping secure a better future for Scotland’s nature.

CARING AWARD

Nathan Cridland, Specialist Gardener, Canna Nathan’s commitment to the community has been crucial in maintaining Canna’s lifeline ferry service, managing the island’s harbour, and overseeing visiting yachts. Nathan has played a key role in keeping the island connected to the mainland. His leadership and attention to detail ensured the smooth operation of the pier, inspiring others to step up as well. Nathan’s willingness to take on this responsibility, in addition to his gardening duties, has had a significant positive impact on both residents and visitors.

CURIOUS AWARD

Bryan Dale, Volunteer Guide, Preston Mill

Bryan has been an invaluable volunteer guide at Preston Mill for years. Prior to that he volunteered at Newhailes. When the house closed for tours during the Moth project, he participated in that conservation effort. Bryan’s ability to convey information is exceptional, often introducing fascinating facts that enhance the visitor experience. Many guests have remarked on his deep understanding of the Mill’s workings, often questioning if he had been a miller professionally - he was actually a surgeon! Despite being the oldest guide on our team, Bryan is energetic, consistently attends, and is a favourite among our visitors due to his great sense of humour.

INCLUSIVE AWARD

Andrew Hinson, Head Gardener, Greenbank

Andrew has fully embraced all the aspects of Career Pathways work in the last two years, being the first person to host a Career Ready internship which has led to the Trust now hosting a total of ten next year. He took on two interns at Greenbank this year and has acted as informal mentor to other Career Ready mentors. Andrew annually

hosts a full class for their work experience in partnership with a local Glasgow based college at Greenbank and then has several returning as volunteers throughout their studies and beyond. Andrew is a real ambassador for Career Pathways and is a great example of someone who is embracing the Trust’s values to be inclusive and its aspirations to become a learning organisation.

VIBRANT AWARD

Elizabeth Fairlie, Volunteer Guide, Hill of Tarvit

Liz exemplifies dedication and enthusiasm in her role as a guide. Her extraordinary curiosity about our property shines through in every interaction with visitors, as she passionately shares her love for it. Committed to enhancing the visitor experience, Liz creates stunning flower arrangements that add a special touch to the property. Her vibrant personality and natural extroversion enable her to portray historic figures and fictional characters with enthusiasm during public events. Liz’s caring nature ensures that new volunteers feel welcomed and supported. She takes them under her wing, helping them familiarise themselves with the property’s history and presentation. Her ability to inspire those around her makes her a truly invaluable asset. Liz is a well-rounded talent who genuinely deserves this award.

SPECIAL COMMENDATION AWARD

Alistair Mackenzie

After 34 years of continuous service, Conservation Volunteer Alistair MacKenzie announced his retirement this year. Alistair attended his first volunteer day at Drum Castle in 1990 where he helped install fencing in the car park. Since then, he has been a dedicated volunteer supporting the North East Ranger Service, in addition to Gardens Teams, across nearly every estate in the region. With over three decades of experience, he was always able to jump in with any task - be it practical construction in the countryside or vegetation management. Even with his breadth of experience, Alistair remained curious and was always learning. During his time as a volunteer, he has not only worked through all seasons in nature, but also different eras of the organisation and was constantly supportive of the work of our charity. He likes to share about his legacy of oaks that he planted himself at both Castle Fraser and Crathes Estates that he has watched grow over the years and he is excited to know that they will continue to grow for future generations to enjoy. He says, “The best thing you can do is plant a tree. If it weren’t for all of the people that planted trees in the past, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the woodlands we have today.” And by planting trees now, Alistair hopes to inspire future generations to enjoy nature as much as he does.

MEET Ramsay Aitken

Lead

Consultant Responsible for Volunteering

The Lead Consultant Volunteering is a valuable member of the People Team, playing an important role in developing our volunteer recruitment programmes, engaging and supporting our diverse community of volunteers while fostering a rewarding and meaningful experience for them.

We are delighted to welcome Ramsay Aitken.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Before the Trust, I worked for Highlife Highland (an arms-length charity for Highland Council) as its Achievement Awards Officer, responsible for the delivery and administration of awards for young people, with a focus on the Duke of Edinburgh Award supporting adult volunteers, and youth volunteering placements across the Highlands. I also worked as a development officer with Boys Brigade Scotland, initially for the Highland area but my role expanded to a Scotland-wide remit recruiting and equipping adult volunteers and training the next generation of young leaders throughout Scotland. I also had a 28-year career as a police officer, working across the Highlands and Islands.

What are the highlights from your previous regional role supporting Trust volunteers in Highlands and Islands?

The highlights in my previous role would be spending time with the regional volunteers tackling invasive species in Glencoe and learning all about dry stone walling in Kintail with a team of volunteers and staff over a weekend.

It was also great to be able to support staff at Brodie Castle on an excellent recruitment campaign where they managed to recruit 16 new volunteers.

Visiting Culloden and learning all about their volunteers, why they volunteer for the Trust and their learning about their passion for the site, whether supporting visitors inside or helping to maintain the battlefield itself great, as was learning how staff engage with the RAF and army to increase volunteering at the site.

What are your priorities for the next few months?

My priorities will be to introduce myself to the teams across the Trust and getting a greater understanding of the valuable role our volunteers play in supporting our charity aims.

I will also be looking at the changing landscape of volunteering in Scotland and across the UK and the heritage sector, and to compare it to our current model with a view to recommending new approaches we will need to take to attract and retain volunteers in the future.

I will be reviewing our current volunteering data and suggesting how we can get meaningful management information from it to support our future volunteering direction. This will be done in conjunction with the wider programme of refreshing the People System and considering whether we need to move our volunteer records to a separate volunteering database.

‘My priorities will be to introduce myself to the teams across the Trust and getting a greater understanding of the valuable role our volunteers play...’

MEET RAMSAY AITKEN

What was 2024 like for you – and what are you most looking forward to in 2025?

2024 has been full of opportunities to develop the volunteering offer within the region. It has been great learning from and working with the staff to ensure we offer a range of different opportunities for people of all abilities and passions.

Looking forward to 2025, I think there are some excellent opportunities for the Trust to be the place where people want to come and volunteer and celebrate the contribution volunteers can make.

Ramsay can be contacted by email at raitken@nts.org.uk or on mobile 07523269438.

‘Looking forward to 2025, I think there are some excellent opportunities for the Trust to be the place where people want to come and volunteer’

What’s a typical day in the life of the Social Media team?

David: As Social Media Manager, I juggle a bit of everything: one minute I’m knee-deep in research, the next I’m [carefully!] filming content by a waterfall! My day is usually a mix of meetings, strategy development, providing training and guidance, video editing, supporting Trust-wide priorities, and plenty more – all to help us achieve our goals.

Chelsea: My day always starts with community management but how the rest of it goes depends on my objectives for the week – sometimes it’s data analysis to make informed decisions about our content, and sometimes it’s catching a helicopter at Grey Mare’s Tail to capture video footage of footpath work being done (thanks Bob Brown!) The working week is always great but sometimes it’s really great!

What do you enjoy most about your job?

David: Working with so many amazing people across the Trust! And I love being able to capture magical moments – from the vibrant autumn leaves at Killiecrankie to the arrival of seal pups at St Abb’s Head – and share them with the world. I also find it incredibly rewarding to shape our social media approach and see how it impacts people’s connection to Scotland’s heritage.

How do you support different teams across the Trust?

David: I love empowering colleagues across the organisation to feel confident and excited about managing their social media presence – whether through training sessions, reviewing analytics to improve performance, or building social media strategies to maximise the impact of their efforts. I also provide a toolkit with everything from workflow templates to platform-specific guidance – making social media feel accessible and manageable for everyone.

What’s next for the Social Media team?

THE TRUST ON SOCIAL MEDIA

We invited our Social Media Manager, David Fettes, and our Social Media Executive, Chelsea Davies, to share some insights from their valuable work promoting the Trust and the incredible work our teams do on social media.

David: We’re working on some really exciting content, and we can’t wait to bring it to life! We’re also rolling out our refreshed YouTube channel, with a series of amazing videos lined up – think nature ASMR and letterpress printing! Plus, we’re launching a new audience survey to learn more about their user habits, interests and motivations on social media, and what they’d most love to see from us. We want to give our audiences even more reasons to love and support the Trust!

Chelsea: I love being able to get out and about at our amazing places across Scotland, not only meeting the people who care for them but also sharing my love and enthusiasm for our sites with a really engaged community of supporters on social media. It really is a dream job for me!

Tell us about a recent post that performed really well.

Chelsea: A reel I created of Glencoe recently engaged a huge number of people on Instagram and Facebook, with hundreds of people sharing their love for this spectacular landscape. However, my favourite post that I’ve shared this year was of Glen Rosa on Arran. I visited late afternoon on an incredibly hot and sunny July day and got to take a dip in the blue pools in this amazing golden hour light. Best work day ever!

Chelsea: I hope even more growth! It’s fantastic to see the small, continual tweaks we’re making have a huge, positive impact on our growth in reach and engagement. We’re also working hard to analyse our content performance, learn more about our audiences, and gain insights that can be applied to our social media strategy, aligned to the wider strategic objectives of the Audiences & Support directorate and the Trust.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates and stories from across the Trust!

HERITAGE PROPERTIES EDINBURGH & EAST

GEORGIAN HOUSE

It has been a wonderful year at the Georgian House. Visitor numbers are 20% up on last yearmuch closer to pre-pandemic levels. The highlight of our year has been the Ramsay and Edinburgh Fashion Exhibition featuring Allan Ramsay paintings from other Trust sites and exquisite textiles from Newhailes.

The reception to the exhibition has been overwhelmingly positive and has brought many members back to visit us. Twelve skilled volunteers from the Georgian House and Gladstone’s Land worked with dress historian Rebecca Olds, in front of visitors (the engagement was truly amazing!) to hand-stitch a replica sack back gown which visitors can touch. This dress will go to the draper’s shop at

Gladstone’s Land when the exhibition closes. Stewards for the exhibition were recruited from the Georgian House and Newhailes making it a truly collaborative effort by the Edinburgh cluster of properties.

Planning for 2025 is also underway. Next year is the 50th anniversary of the house opening to visitors and we will celebrate this by showcasing all the owners of the house and the changes they made to it. We will also extend our view to Charlotte Square and focus on ‘Stories of/by Girls’ who lived in Charlotte Square in the early 1800s, and went to become authors, namely Catherine Sinclair, Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus and Marjory Fleming. This focus allows us to signpost that we are restoring the nursery on the attic floor for opening in 2026. A fitting way for us to celebrate 50 years – and to look forward to the next 50!

HERITAGE PROPERTIES

EDINBURGH & EAST

STITCHED

PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON CINDERELLA OF ARTWORLD

A joint exhibition shining a light on the oftenoverlooked art of embroidery runs in Edinburgh until 18 January 2025. Taking place at Dovecot Studios, the exhibition features more than 80 pieces from the Trust’s collections around the country.

Many have never been on public display before. The exhibition also, for the first time, brings together pieces large and small, intricate and practical, into one space. It puts the spotlight firmly on the skills and creativity of the women and girls who worked behind the scenes creating these pieces of art over a 200-year period.

GHOSTBUSTERS AND GODFATHERS

In October, the Kingarrock team attended the Dunhill Links Championship, a prestigious event that blends pro golf with celebrity participation at iconic St Andrews.

This unique tournament allows both pros and celebs to experience golf’s roots, so why not make it even more special and provide the opportunity to play with our antique hickory clubs. Attendees enjoyed discussions on club selection and how to adapt their swing to different clubs and conditions, making it a memorable experience that bridged the gap between tradition and modern play. We even managed to engage with a ghostbuster and godfather, Bill Murray and Andy Garcia.

Items featured are from Newhailes in Musselburgh, Drum Castle and Haddo House in Aberdeenshire, House of the Binns in Linlithgow, the Hill House in Helensburgh and Weaver’s Cottage in Kilbarchan. The range of items on show reflects the variety of women who created them – from the large-scale and luxurious bed cover from Kellie Castle made by the talented Lorimer family to smaller items, like the pin cushion created by farmer’s daughter May Sandison, who made pieces for Lady Aberdeen at Haddo House and ran a needlework school for her there.

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS

BRODIE ILLUMINATED GOES BRILLIANTLY

Brodie Castle welcomed visitors to its annual Brodie Illuminated event in November, with guests invited to explore this year’s theme of playfulness through creative light installations designed to highlight fun and imagination.

This year’s theme celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Playful Garden opening to the public. The joyful space, which is incredibly popular with visitors of all ages, has inspired this year’s event with the whimsical characters featured within the Playful Garden brought to life through colourful projections on the castle’s walls.

Blending Brodie’s historic charm with ‘light’ art, the team has worked closely with independent lighting designer, Malcolm Innes, to create a new designated trail around the castle grounds. Visitors enjoyed and experienced a charming after dark journey through the Playful Garden, shrubbery and woodland. Sensory lights were featured throughout the trail, inviting both adults and children to tap into their playful side as they interact with each light display, alongside a host of other family-friendly activities.

HIGHLAND & ISLANDS

DIGGING UP STORIES AT CULLODEN

In a quest to uncover secrets from one of Scotland’s most significant historical sites, archaeologists and volunteers were involved in a dig at Culloden Battlefield, where the course of British, European and world history changed dramatically nearly 280 years ago. HERITAGE PROPERTIES

Experts armed with both traditional archaeology tools and cutting-edge technology were peeling back layers of earth to reveal untold stories of the final clash of the Jacobite Rising in 1746. The project aims to further our understanding of the final battle of the Jacobite Rising. Volunteers and archaeology experts from all over the world joined the excavation in October, supporting the team in searching for new discoveries, including from RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks. Archaeology students from as far away as North America and other parts of Europe also got involved.

The dig combined traditional archaeological methods, such as grid-based test pits, metal detecting and modern techniques to uncover more artefacts that could provide further insights into the Battle of Culloden. Areas such as the Field of the English were targeted for metal detecting, using techniques from the excavation at the Battlefield of Waterloo, which made it easier to find as many artefacts as possible. The dig was conducted with great care, respecting the site’s solemn history. Culloden Battlefield is a designated war grave and we ensure all activities at this significant site are carried out with care and respect.

70 YEARS OF CARING FOR FAIR ISLE

The Trust celebrated the 70th anniversary of Fair Isle coming under its care after the conservation charity acquired the island from renowned ornithologist, George Waterston on 3 September 1954. The celebration coincided with the expansion of research activity being carried out to better understand Fair Isle’s natural heritage by observing and measuring the health of its marine environment.

Researchers were able to build upon previous research by deploying new equipment and technology, made possible thanks to funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. This fieldwork involved the tagging of European shag seabirds as part of the finescale foraging mapping project. The Trust’s seabird officers and ecologists were able to fit GPS tags to 10 shags with support from the Fair Isle Bird Observatory team. Data from these tags provides important information about where the birds are going to feed and how deep their dives are, and this combined with data from the other research, will provide a holistic view of the health of Fair Isle’s marine environment.

NORTH EAST

DRUM CASTLE

The team at Drum Castle, Garden & Estate had the most wonderful year. And the best is yet to come (yes, we have invited Santa)!

ATTIC PROJECT

You may hear a bump and a creak next time you visit Drum Castle, but don’t worry, it’s no ghost! Volunteers Katherine and Lucy have been hard at work with Caitlin (Collections Care - Visitor Services Supervisor) to assess and catalogue the hundreds of collection items that have been tucked away for safe keeping over the years. As they work through these under-documented collections, everything from Jacobean spears to French porcelain, they are working to improve storage conditions and of course, discover new stories about Drum Castle to share with our visitors.

NORTH EAST

WINTER EVENTS

We have been running our bairn’s tour and craft session again this November, where families learn all about the lives of the children who lived and worked in the Castle. Santa will also be visiting Drum in December for our popular 4-day event, with tickets for Christmas Eve already sold out!

‘As a teacher I fully appreciate how children learn best –through active, engaging, relevant and meaningful high quality learning experiences.’

TIMESLIDERS - AND A BIG WELCOME

We welcome Katie Mackenzie, Schools Coordinator who recently joined team Drum. She wanted to introduce herself on the pages of One Trust:

I am very excited to be working closely both with the staff and volunteers at Drum as well as the wider Learning Team as we prepare to launch this innovative programme in the North East in spring 2025.

My aim is to ensure that Timesliders is rolled out seamlessly at Drum Castle and has a positive impact for the teachers, children and families involved. I feel passionate that this programme will bring learning

to life for the children and allow trust properties to be explored in a revolutionary and motivating way, knocking down any barriers that may prevent schools from engaging with Drum.

My role is to assist with the organisation and delivery of the project to classes in our local schools and be the key contact between the programme, property staff and the schools involved. My knowledge of the local area combined with my background in education is proving very helpful to this.

As a teacher I fully appreciate how children learn best – through active, engaging, relevant and meaningful high quality learning experiences. Timesliders will allow children to be fully immersed in their learning and bring Scottish History to life! Let’s make learning fun again for all our young people whilst inspiring our next generation of Trust employees and volunteers!

HERITAGE PROPERTIES

NORTH EAST

WREATH MAKING

AND OTHER STORIES FROM LEITH HALL

We have been busy collecting foliage and berries for the Leith Hall Wreath-making workshop which took place on Saturday 30 November.

Our workshops are a great opportunity to spend cosy two hours in the festive tearoom while making a sustainable wreath made entirely from Leith Hall garden foliage which will last right through the Christmas season. All our participants put their own personality into their wreaths – and it is amazing how everyone is completely different. Some of our favourite foliage is Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Wisselii’, Cedrus deodara and Ilex aquifolium ‘Silver Queen’, which all add different colours and textures to the wreaths.

As the days start to shorten noticeably in the North East and the thicker gloves come out of the garden lockers, it is the time to start putting the garden to bed for the winter. The long herbaceous borders are all cut back and we are busy collecting leaves off the lawns and paths which will get shredded and composted to make leaf-mould – a vital ingredient for our potting compost next year and mulch for the kitchen garden beds. The terracotta pots are protected from the harsh frosts with hessian, as are some of our less hardy plants, and Dahlia tubers are being cleaned, ready to

spend the winter bedded down in crates of sand. It isn’t a sad time of the year, it is full of appreciation of what the previous season has given us in the garden and preparation for the year to come. Jobs carried out well now will protect plants from the harsh winter and provide us with a good start to the next season. It is also the time for preparing our statues for winter hibernation - the gardeners carry out a condition survey of all statues, clean them and put on their winter jackets to protect them from winter conditions, helping to conserve them.

GARLAND FRASER

Our splendid Halloween trail has been running for some years and this year’s was the best one yet. Throughout the estate, story boards tell a tale of mischief caused by Goldilocks and mini scenes were built with interesting characters, including sound effects, which the children had to remember to receive their goodie bag containing one of the characters they have seen.

Bringing the old fairy stories alive engages and fires up imaginations rather than a scare or surprise experience making it more inclusive and we believe a lot more fun. It is a collective effort by all the staff, garden and castle alike. We get such pleasure from providing the content and building the sets. Seeing the children and parents enjoying their day out is wonderful.

December is a busy month at the castle. It comes alive during the festive season as it is beautifully decorated for the winter festivities. The garden staff have been busy drying and storing cut flowers all summer for the Christmas displays. Holly and mistletoe are hung in the great hall and a large garland is over the fireplace. The rooms are decorated with period correct decorations. Lovely aromas of herbs and spices used at that time fill the air. A new attraction this year is a center piece of a dried flower goose on the dining room table. Santa visits again too! The local choirs of Craigievar and Kingswells joined us again this year and candlelit tours took place throughout the festive season. The gardening club round up their year with a festive touch, with a Christmas wreath-making workshop and handmade wreaths are available from the shop.

Into the new year, the ‘behind the scenes’ tours will return as they were very popular last year. Visitors will get to see places and items not normally on show and discover how we look after the collections in our care.

SOUTH & WEST

GARDENING EXCELLENCE

AT THREAVE

By Nadine Stotten, Instructor for the School of Heritage Gardening, Threave

Bequeathed to the Trust by the Gordon family, along with an endowment, it was agreed that Threave should be a gardening school and so in the 1960s the Threave School of Practical Gardening started. It has since taught hundreds of students, turning a site of grassy fields into a garden with woodlands, ericaceous beds (that’s plants that need an acidic soil), a rock garden, and arboretum among others.

Only male students were allowed at the beginning, living in Threave House which had a classroom for study. Students wore shirts and suits to work and had their meals cooked for them using produce from the walled garden.

During the 1970s female students were allowed and there were as many as 16 students at a time. During the 1990s, a change in funding meant numbers dropped to six.

After a review of the school in 2022, student are now known as trainees, live off site and earn a very good salary, leaving with the RHS Level 2 Practical and the Threave Certificate in Practical Heritage Gardening after completing our one-year course. Nowadays there are five trainees, working five days a week as gardeners of the 64-acre site.

For our 2024 trainees, they may start a day in the glasshouse with watering and tidying, followed by tasks such as pest and disease control, potting and propagation. In other areas of the garden, skills in turf maintenance, machinery use, pruning techniques, and productive gardening are all taught to ensure that trainees can go into the world of horticulture as lead gardeners.

HERITAGE PROPERTIES

SOUTH & WEST

Gardening is hugely influenced by the weather and the trainees for 2023/2024 drew the short straw. 2024 started with a mild, wet winter, followed by a wet spring and then August was 200% wetter than recent years. Many annuals and herbaceous perennials have enjoyed the rain, growing taller than expected. Plants under glass have not flowered as prolifically as usual, the vegetables in the walled garden have struggled, with pumpkins growing foliage but not flowers, and the tender perennials such as Salvias are very late in growing flower spikes.

Looking back at 2024, it is clear that the changing climate is impacting upon our natural environment and the trainees at Threave learn how to garden with this change. We help them to understand the impact of horticulture on the environment both positively and negatively.

On 26 July 2025, previous staff and students will be converging at Threave Garden to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the school, with a great afternoon of talks and garden tours, and an evening of events. Any previous staff or students wishing to attend please get in touch. If anyone has photos from their time at Threave that they would like to add to the slideshow, please send them on to nstotten@nts.org.uk.

MACKINTOSH ILLUMINATED FUNDING NEWS

Earlier this year the Trust achieved an important milestone in one of our priority projects, the conservation of the Hill House, and our wider ambition to promote understanding of one of Scotland’s most talented creative couples, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald. Over a period of a few months, a team of colleagues from across the Trust worked on an ambitious funding bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The application was submitted and at time of printing, a decision is imminent!

If we get the go ahead, this project plans to bring together conservation of the physical legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife, Margaret Macdonald, uniting it with accessible digital content and programmes of community and educational engagement to tell their stories, showcase their achievements and to put in context the times they lived in and the people they inspired. We want to transform understanding of their work nationally and internationally as an outstanding part of Scotland’s creative heritage, employing their most important surviving, publicly accessible cultural and design

examples, both of which are in our care: the domestic masterpiece of The Hill House, Helensburgh and Mackintosh at the Willow in their home city of Glasgow, building on its already exceptional community and educational engagement work. At the heart of Mackintosh Illuminated is the essential restoration of the Hill House, work that will deliver world-leading research-led conservation which secures its future and contributes to international practice in the preservation of important 20th century architecture.

As part of the application process, we were required to gather letters from stakeholders who support our vision. Much appreciated endorsements came from far and wide, including the V&A in both London & Dundee, Glasgow Life, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow University’s Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Visit Scotland, National Museums Scotland, the Landmark Trust; and from the USA, Kelpies sculptor Andy Scott, Scottish Heritage USA, and of course, the NTS USA Foundation. We are so grateful for all the support received so far.

SOUTH & WEST

WORKFORCE FOR THE FUTURE

AT THE ROBERT BURNS BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM

A group of primary schoolchildren from Ayr have created a new guided walk at Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and Cottage. The project was part of a Museums Galleries Scotland funded initiative which sought to introduce primary age children into the world of work at heritage sites.

For seven weeks, RBBM Learning Manager Chris Waddell worked with the primary seven children from nearby Kincaidston Primary School. The students visited the site several times to learn more about their national Bard and local hero! As well as discovering more about the life and works of Burns, they explored the significance of Burns to the local and national economies, explored the Scots language (a particularly fun session) and looked at the ways we tell the Burns story to our visitors from around the globe.

The youngsters met with staff from across the organisation and took part in collections care sessions and even tried their hand at integrated pest management (weans and beasties are always a good mix!).

The children also took part in a session that looked at outdoor education and explored the various ways that the Trust cares for our natural heritage too. This was a particularly popular session – largely due to its culmination in a lesson in safe fire lighting with a few toasted marshmallows!

Despite the fun elements of these various sessions, there was a serious aim to the project. It was intended that it would allow a valuable insight for the children, into how we operate and how we manage the resources and riches in our care. It also served to instill greater confidence in the students and help them cope with planning and delivery of project tasks. The skills garnered throughout the project worked towards a particular end – to allow the children to research, design and deliver a series of guided walks at RBBM. On 23 October, the children took part in their final session and it was an absolute triumph, having practised for weeks, the guided walks were delivered to volunteers, staff and parents.

This final session was a bittersweet one for Chris; thousands of schoolkids attend the museum every year to take part in sessions, but after a couple of hours, they hop back on the bus and leave. Chris really got to know the Kincaidston youngsters and is confident that they benefitted from this excellent project. He feels he did too!

Spotlight on…

WINTER WITH THE TRUST CAMPAIGN TEAM

SPOTLIGHT ON WINTER WITH THE TRUST CAMPAIGN

Every year, getting ready for the busy Winter season, the Audiences & Support team, along with many colleagues across the Trust, work to wrap up Christmas under the theme ‘Winter with the Trust’. This is a mammoth task which is months in the making, and we wanted to give a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse at just some of the people involved in helping us promote all the different ways people can support our charity at this time of year. Check our website for campaign details: Winter with the Trust - National Trust for Scotland

CLARE WILLIS MARKETING MANAGER

Helps to co-ordinate the campaign that involves input from all over the Trust.

Christmas is such a busy and exciting time at the Trust, and we want to help make it even more special for our visitors and supporters. Our campaign has been designed to showcase all things winter from commercial activity over the Christmas period as well as inspiring visits and events plus highlighting our fundraising and membership offering. This joinedup approach also gives us the opportunity to remind people we are a charity and that by supporting us helps fund our vital conservation work.

CHRISTINA MORRISON GIVING CAMPAIGNS MANAGER

Helps to co-ordinate the campaign that involves input from all over the Trust.

Christina looks after individual giving which ranges from sending appeals to looking after regular givers or managing the Trust’s lottery.

I have two fundraising products involved in the winter campaign this year and those are ROOTS and Dedicate a Tree. My aim is to sign up 100 new ROOTS subscribers and raise over £15,000 for tree planting projects across Scotland.

During the campaign I’ve been able to work with new people and have enjoyed seeing more behind the scenes from the retail and membership teams. Learning more about what they do has given me plenty of ideas for future crossovers and working together throughout the year!

GREG STEDMAN DESIGNER

Created the campaign visuals and shares the ideas behind it.

This year’s design direction for the winter campaign is an evolution of things I have tried in the past few years. The round robin from last year was a hit and we have featured baubles in previous years, so this time I did a ‘best of’ and found a way to combine a different robin illustration with some foliage (juniper branches, for gin lovers everywhere) and bauble silhouettes. The challenge was to give the robin a background without overloading the design with too much detail, which is where the silhouette layers we always ask our illustrator to supply comes in so useful.

I was particularly drawn to this robin illustration because of the plucky, optimistic character that our illustrator has captured. It seems to me that it is having a good time and isn’t shy about sharing that with us. That’s a festive goal if ever I heard one.

Having worked through the varied design requirements for the campaign offerings I feel that this has been an adaptable and engaging graphical way to frame the wide range of activity this winter.

SPOTLIGHT ON WINTER WITH THE TRUST CAMPAIGN

CARLY LAMBERTY

DESTINATION MARKETING MANAGER

We’ve got around 50 festive events taking place across the estate this year. From chances to meet Santa, Mrs Claus or the Elves to wreath-making, Christmas markets and festive afternoon teas. Some of our Santa events sold out in October and sales look very promising across the country.

VICTORIA WALKER VISUAL MERCHANDISER

Victoria recently stepped into the new, exciting role of Visual Merchandiser working with the central retail team.

Christmas can be a fun time in our shops. It’s the one time of the year our stores are transformed to add a bit of sparkle! For the past few years, we have run a Christmas Display competition to motivate property teams to get into the Christmas spirit and drive sales. We encourage teams to send their festive displays with us and the winning property receives one of our lovely hampers! With their support we can continue to create warm and welcoming experiences for our visitors year after year.

LUCY PAUL

MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Is a big fan of all things Christmas. Having enjoyed volunteering at the Georgian House last year, Lucy has signed up to help with Christmas at Newhailes later this month.

Lucy has been leading on the promoted social media posts for the winter campaign and has also found time to write some new web content, including a gift guide and some holiday inspiration, like Cosy Cottages

She also supports the Food & Beverage team with marketing efforts like sharing recipes from our talented chefs across the Trust, for example Jasmine’s shortbread from Mackintosh at the Willow

Lucy is also working with the Venue Hire and Weddings team on a social media campaign this year as Winter is a popular time to propose. Last year’s campaign results included the bigger the dress, the higher the engagement on social media!

Her favourite seasonal Trust drink this year is Pistachio White Hot Chocolate.

Falkland Christmas display

Hill House shop display

SPOTLIGHT ON WINTER WITH THE TRUST CAMPAIGN

‘It’s inspiring to be a part of a team that is so committed to preserving our nation’s history and natural landscape for future generations.’

MOLLY GILROY

INTERIM MEMBERSHIP MARKETING MANAGER

Molly leads on marketing activity to recruit new members and retain existing ones, rewarding their loyalty. At this time of year the focus is on gift membership - the perfect option for loved ones so they can enjoy making new memories at our special places. During November and December, membership aims to recruit 5300 new memberships, equating to an income target of over £400,000.

Membership income is really important to the Trust –it’s unrestricted and can support all the vital work we do. Thanks so much to everyone out at properties who helps to promote membership. For 2024, I am excited to launch a new gift membership radio campaign, tying into our Shared Moments activity, to promote membership as a meaningful and thoughtful gift. Stay tuned throughout December to hear the adverts!

Molly also reminds Trust employees that they receive 20% discount on gift memberships this season. Simply scan the QR code on p. 17 to complete a short form and one of the Supporter Care Team will contact you to finalise payment. All gift purchases will receive a digital gift voucher with temporary membership card and car parking pass, which will be sent by email. Offer ends 20 December.

She can’t wait for her first home-made mince pie and festive cheese board

RACHAEL MACRAE

REGIONAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR FOR HIGHLANDS

& ISLANDS

It’s also been a busy time for Rachael who has been focusing on the winter campaign and Brodie Illuminated.

We’ve launched the festive season in November in the Highlands & Islands with our much-loved Brodie Illuminated event at Brodie Castle. This year, the theme was playfulness where visitors were invited to connect with their playful and whimsical side, inspired by the joyful spirit of Ninian Brodie, the 25th Brodie.

Brodie Illuminated brings boundless joy to local families and visitors alike, making the winter season feel truly special. This year, photos of visitors to Brodie Castle were featured in the illuminations, lighting up one of the castle walls with joyful snapshots that capture the magic of each visit.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to welcome visitors to our sold-out Santa event at Brodie Castle, another family favourite. We also look forward to our Community Thank You Day at Culloden Battlefield, where locals are invited to enjoy free entry to the museum. It’s a lovely day where we give back, allowing families to relax and explore the café and gift shop outside of the busy summer season.

Rachael reflects on what 2024 was like for her.

I’m incredibly grateful to have joined the National Trust for Scotland back in May. In just six months, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to the important work of conserving and protecting Scotland’s special places and heritage sites. It’s inspiring to be a part of a team that is so committed to preserving our nation’s history and natural landscape for future generations. The dedications and passion that I see everyday across all our teams within the Trust have made my time here already very rewarding. I’m excited about the possibilities that await in 2025 at the Trust and I can’t wait to keep working alongside our talented teams to help share the incredible work they do.