I believe in coyotes and time as an abstract …

… Explain the change, the difference between
What you want and what you need, there’s the key,
Your adventure for today, what do you do
Between the horns of the day?

So what does this great set of REM lyrics have to do with anything at all?   Well, three reasons.  I love ‘I believe‘; my blog tells you what I’ve been up to ‘between the horns of the day’; and I can feel a cold coming on … But really the message of not abandoning the idealism of youth whilst not ignoring reality just seemed pertinent this week.

Blencathra in the English Lake District © Friends of Blencathra

On my way to the National Trust HQ in Swindon on Monday, three items on the radio particularly struck me.  That the Friends of Blencathra, a community group hoping to keep the iconic peak in Cumbrian hands, had had its attempt to buy the mountain thwarted, seemed somehow unfair and brought to mind the history of the National Trust, its strong roots in the Lake District and how it was fuelled by the Draconian inheritance taxes of the early 20th Century.  (Lord Londsdale had put Blencathra up for sale with a guide price of £1.75 million to help pay an inheritance tax bill he’s been landed with since the death of his father.)  This report came hot on the heels of news that a mystery family had bought a picturesque village in Devon for £11.5 million – outbidding the National Trust.   Let’s hope both these wonderful places continue to be loved and cherished by their new owners.

The second item was a report on the Tour de France, which had just spent the weekend in Yorkshire and had helped us all appreciate the wonderful landscapes we so often take for granted.  And lastly, although related to both, was ‘Thought for the Day’, a daily slot on the morning radio programme dedicated to faith perspectives on the issues and people in the news.  James Jones, former bishop of Liverpool, talked passionately about landscape and how we are a part of nature, not apart from it, that humanity changes landscape and is changed by it.  Jones finished with a quote from Charles Baudelaire; “Man walks through forests of symbols, which watch him with knowing eyes” (Les Fleurs du Mal, 1857).

So it was with Baudelaire’s mystical belief in the world’s fundamental unity in mind that I discussed the 2015 Cambridge Conference with National Trust colleagues in Swindon.  It was wonderful to hear how keen they were for us to push the boundaries and be more ambitious with our plans.  Gave the team a lot to think about – watch this space for more developments!  I also had a good conversation about reciprocal visiting arrangements among NTs and how to maximise benefits.

The following day, I was back at Grange Park Opera (I don’t normally work on a Tuesday) for a concert by Hampshire schoolchildren.  ‘Primary Robins’ brings music and singing into the lives of 380 young people who have little exposure to it and the whole thing was deeply moving.

On Wednesday Geoffrey Read, Katie Jacob and I met David Poppitt, an income generation specialist, to discuss fundraising options for INTO moving forward.   An interesting conversation which left us all with much to think about.   Katie and I spent the afternoon at Sutton House in Hackney.  I often speak about the wonderful community work the Trust does at Sutton House but had never been there (oh the shame!) so this was a great opportunity.   The Trust’s vision for Sutton House is that ‘When people think of Hackney, they think of Sutton House’ and ‘Sutton House will be self financing by 2018’.

Sutton House is already well known for its vibrant and pioneering education and community learning programme but it wants to build its reputation as a fantastic visitor attraction, offering a unique opportunity to experience nearly 500 years of social, domestic, cultural and political change in London.  I’m sure it will achieve these objectives.

Another day, another London property.  Thursday was Morden Hall Park in South London, the wild, outdoor sister of Sutton House!  Now, I’ve been to Morden before (yay!) and it was lovely to return to this fabulous community park.    There was another reason for visiting – we had arranged with FAI, the Italian National Trust, for 12 young people (the winners of a national schools competition FAI runs) to visit Morden and undertake volunteer work for three days as part of their prize.   It was terrific to meet such a lovely bunch of lively, energetic and dedicated young people.  From building dens to clearing invasive species from the river in boats (!), the students had contributed hugely over the past few days and were rewarded with a cream tea at the Stable Café.   It was good too to chat to Silvia Camagni, the FAI Education Officer about their ability to engage young people – something our member Trusts could learn from.   (Check out the map showing their FAI Giovani (FAI Youth) groups on their website.

FAI Group at Morden Hall Park

From Morden, I hot-footed across London to an event organised by the Spanish Tourist Office at Leighton House in Holland Park … Another place I’ve never visited.   And wow, what a wonder!  The moment you enter the painter Frederic Lord Leighton’s Victorian home, you are in another world.   From the extraordinary Arab Hall with its golden dome, intricate mosaics and walls lined with beautiful Islamic tiles, to the vast studio, filled with paintings and lit by an enormous north window, Leighton House is a true gem.    And again, I thought back to the establishment of the National Trust.  If it had been the mighty oak it is today when Leighton died in 1896, instead of a year-old seedling, it may have stepped in to save the collection from being sold and dispersed.  That said, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are doing a fantastic job restoring and managing the site and are interestingly now working in partnership with the Trust to bring the House to a wider audience.

It was good to connect with the Spanish Tourist Office regarding our events in Galicia later this year – and to have a taster of the wonderful Spanish food, wine and music to come once we have finished the hard slog walking to Santiago de Compostela!!!

On my way home, a colleague emailed to say that the launch of the Czech National Trust was on the front page of the National Trust staff intranet.   A nice end to another great week!  So back to Michael Stipe “Trust in your calling, make sure your calling’s true; Think of others, the others think of you; Silly rule golden words make, practice, practice makes perfect; Perfect is a fault, and fault lines change … ”