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Where do your donations go? Read on to find out.

Your gift in ACTION

issue 2

a place for everyone

YOU

your gift in ACTION 1

YOUR STORIESYour gift in ACTION

THANK YOU

a place for everyone

Without you and the support you’ve shown for our charity, we simply couldn’t afford to protect all the beautiful locations in our care.Your Gift in Action is dedicated to giving you an insight into where your gifts are being spent and it’s also an opportunity to bring you closer to our work.We’re writing to you at the end of our financial year, which gives us the chance to reflect on our past performance and look ahead to the future. it’s been a challenging year for us all amid difficult economic times, so it’s a testament to you, our generous supporters, that we raised an amazing £642,981 through public donations between March 2011 and March 2012.

We’ve been truly inspired by some of the stories of people going the extra mile for scotland’s heritage, so we couldn’t help including one or two for you to read too.

Thank you so much for your support.

Kate MavorChief exeCuTiveThe National Trust for scotland

YOUR STORIES donations that have inspired us. Page 1

MAKING A DIFFERENCEwhere did your donations go in 2011-12. Page 2

ON THE HORIZONfind out more about upcoming fundraising appeals. Page 5

Front cover: Dicentra spectabilis, also known as bleeding heart

Please contact our fundraising team with your questions and feedback:

development@nts.org.uk

0844 493 2100

fundraising, The National Trust for scotland, hermiston Quay, 5 Cultins Road, edinburgh eh11 4Df

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www.nts.org.uk

WHeN THe gOiNg geTs TOUgHendurance athletes arrived at Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve in July to run, swim, kayak and cycle in the Artemis great Kindrochit Quadrathlon. Recognising the impact this event would have on the landscape, organiser David Fox-Pitt donated £2,000 to the Footpath Fund. This kind donation will help us to conserve the 35,649 metres of paths at Ben Lawers.

The Trust’s very own Dan Watson, ecologist at Glencoe and Ben Lawers, entered the event, raising £585 in sponsorship. unfortunately, an injury meant he couldn’t compete on the day, but to honour the commitment he made to his sponsors he completed the course in september. Dan wrote on his blog:

“I got changed as fast as possible, feeling slightly dizzy and wobbly after the swim, and we set off on the run section, 15 miles over 7 Munros. This was the fun bit for us, with the clouds lifting higher through the morning until all the tops were clear except Ben Lawers, the highest hill on the route ...We finished in 9 hours, 2 minutes and 13 seconds. The fastest time on the event this year was 9.03, so who knows what would have happened if my back hadn’t conked out ...”

AN ARmY OF vOLUNTeeRsThe Trust relies on an army of 3,000 volunteers to undertake our conservation work. in fact, we assessed their contribution to be valued at over £1 million every year! This enthusiasm, skill and passion that we rely on is typified by people like Dugdale Bradley, pictured here accepting a certificate from Kate Mavor, Chief executive and violet Dalton, head of volunteering. for over 10 years he’s given his support to a host of projects at countryside locations like Dollar Glen, Ben Lomond and the hermitage. Talking about his volunteering Dug said, “I am delighted to be associated with the maintenance work in these three wonderful locations”.

QUiTe THe PAiR We were delighted to receive a donation

from miss Hoey from Brighton who wanted to support our black grouse reintroduction

project on Arran. With her generous gift of £250 we were able to buy another

breeding pair of black grouse.

The Trust is working with the local community through the Arran Black grouse group to reintroduce this iconic bird. Arran was once a stronghold for black grouse, with

large numbers recorded all over the island. Regrettably this has not been the case since the early 1960s, but through local support and with changes in forestry

Arran now has a suitable habitat to support the needs of a viable population.

your gift in ACTION 3 2 your gift in ACTION

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

You may recall from our last edition of Your Gift in Action that the snow Damage Appeal (February 2011) was helping to pick up the pieces at over 20 of our properties after extreme weather caused havoc on roofs, trees, driveways, plants and more. Here’s an update from two of the properties where your donations have made a difference:

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

sNOW DAmAge APPeAL £186,000

£144,383formerly known as the sole Trading fund, the footpath fund has a new name but the same vital purpose – to protect scotland’s mountains and wild land from the devastating effects of erosion. The footpath fund supports two teams – the Mountain Path Management Team (MPMT) and the Mountains for People project (MfP) – both are dedicated to the conservation of scotland’s mountains and wild land through path repair.

Alasdair eckersall, property manager at Ben Lomond and MPMT Leader, is grateful for the generosity of donors to the footpath fund.

“I wish that every donor to the Footpath Fund could see how much difference their gift makes on the mountain. The Ptarmigan path on Ben Lomond required significant repairs after the worst downpour of rain experienced there in at least twenty years, which washed out over 300m of surface material.”

Your gift in action on our mountains:

gLeNcOe – Repairs have been completed on the Coire Na Tulaich, Am Bodach and Coire Altruim paths.

BeN LAWeRs – The An stuc path has been repaired and the Tarmachan ridge has had maintenance work completed.

ARRAN – significant repairs have been carried out on the Goatfell and Cir Mhor paths. We’ve also extended the ‘light-touch’ repairs into new ground past the Bealach an fhir Bhogha on Beinn Tarsuinn.

BeN LOmOND – Major repairs have been made on the Ptarmigan path following damage brought on by extremely heavy rainfall.

TORRiDON – Work has concentrated on the challenging sgurr Mhor route where the team endured extreme weather of gales, driving rain and snow.

sUmmeR RAFFLe £95,928 income from the annual summer Raffle is used to support all the properties and places in our care.

Culzean Castle & Country Park needed £2,795 to repair damage to an ancient bridge leading to their holiday accommodation, after it partially collapsed due to bad weather. The country park also needed £5,000 to replace a full set of tyres on the forestry tractor.

ARDUAiNe gARDeN cAmPAigN £2,032,900We have reached our endowment target of £2 million to ensure a safe future for Arduaine garden, which means this beautiful place is no longer under threat of closure. Thank you so much for your support!

unfortunately, this wasn’t the only news that we had to convey from Arduaine Garden. Donors to this appeal received a letter from our Chairman in late March informing them that the forestry Commission had found the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora ramorum present among the larch trees in the garden. This means that over the next few weeks we will be exploring options, which may involve felling and moving treated timber to an approved mill. P. ramorum presents a challenge but it does not threaten the garden as a whole. in the short term, and certainly in the coming spring and summer seasons, visitors are unlikely to see any change whatsoever. More information about what’s happening at Arduaine can be found on our website.

THReAve gARDeN & esTATe, cAsTLe DOUgLAsThe network of paths at Threave Garden & estate were damaged after melt-water seeped into the cracks and froze, causing the paths to crack and then crumble. huge potholes appeared, making it difficult for cars and pedestrians to access the property. Thanks to the snow Damage Appeal we could repair the paths before they got any worse.

cANNA Tree debris washed into a field drainage system causing it to block and flood the surrounding farm fields. The flooding was so bad that the fields turned into a small lake and stayed that way over the winter months as the poor weather continued. With support from the snow Damage Appeal we were able to employ specialist contractors to excavate and clear the length of drainage system affected.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

APPReNTice APPeALOur charity depends on the skills, knowledge and experience of specialists in order to care for the treasures under our protection. That’s why we’ve been developing apprentice programmes to pass on their expertise to future generations, as well as offering new employment opportunities for today’s young people.

You can help to protect scotland’s heritage and give young people new opportunities by supporting our apprentice programmes:

I’m in for plants, I’m in for holidays, I’m in for poetry,

I’m in

for c

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in for antiques, I’m in for birds,

I’m in

for p

aint

ings, I’m in for wildlife, I’m

in for coastlines, I’m in for castle

s, I’m

in fo

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tlef e

lds, I’m in for archaeology, I’m in for authors, I’m in for h

istor

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for g

ardens,

I’m in for the future.

ON THE HORIZON

I’m in for the future.

£134,703

THe HeRmiTAge, KiLLiecRANKie & DUNKeLDOur North Perthshire properties are fortunate to have the support of two Countryside Rangers, emma O’shea and Louise Medine, as well as Property Manager Ben Notley to protect and promote these spectacular wild places. Donations to the ‘i’m in for the future’ fund supported several of their important conservation activities.

cONseRvATiON vOLUNTeeRsin the last 12 months, the team helped to co-ordinate a band of 101 volunteers who have contributed over 1,310 hours’ work to the North Perthshire properties. This conservation work has ranged from footpath repairs following storm damage to making the grounds at Killiecrankie visitor Centre more bumble bee friendly.

WiLDLiFe LeARNiNg eveNTs FOR YOUNg PeOPLeeach year emma and Louise run countryside events for young people. They were kept busy last summer with 28 events attended by over 1,300 people. Children’s events like our ‘family Dusk Watch’ walk and ‘Really Wild’ art days are always popular, but importantly bring young people closer to scotland’s amazing wildlife.

WiLDLiFe mONiTORiNgin amongst a regular schedule of wildlife monitoring and survey work, the rangers are managing a number of mink rafts to monitor mink numbers as part of a national water vole project. They have also been filming pine marten activity at Killiecrankie.

Visit www.scotlandsstories.com to hear more from Ben Notley as he explains what it’s like to care for our beautiful North Perthshire properties.

When the appeal launched in November 2011, we were astounded by the support that followed. in just four short weeks we raised over £110,000.

We are extremely grateful for any donation towards our conservation work, but the ‘i’m in for the future’ fund is particularly important because it allows us to respond to any area of the Trust that is in need. These gifts go to the very heart of our charity, to be used where they are needed most and therefore have the biggest possible impact.

here are just a few of the properties that have benefited from your donations to the ‘i’m in for the future’ fund:

ROBeRT BURNs BiRTHPLAce mUseUmRobert Burns Birthplace Museum offers a truly unique experience with scotland’s favourite bard, but thanks to your donations we have been able to enhance this even further. The ‘i’m in for the future’ fund has helped to support a jam-packed programme of exciting learning events in Alloway. school workshops, exhibitions, storytelling and even a ‘Poetry Picnic’ brought people of all ages and abilities closer to the work of Burns and the scots tongue. You can experience inspiring events like these for yourself – visit www.burnsmuseum.org.uk for more information.

cOUNTRYsiDe & NATURe cONseRvATiON APPeAL

We’re scotland’s third largest landowner and the largest managing the land for conservation purposes. We’re here

to protect it for you and for future generations to enjoy, but it’s a never-ending challenge and

one where we need your support.

Mother Nature knows best, but we’re always keeping a watchful eye over the wildlife and natural habitats in our care. for example, we monitor rare plants, protect peregrine and eagle nests, and carry out valuable

surveys on flora, fauna and vegetation communities.

sometimes we need to take action to protect the countryside in our care, such as where we are working to restore native woodlands and wetlands, or helping to increase species numbers like corncrake and black grouse.

We’ll launch our appeal in June to raise money for projects that will protect and support scotland’s countryside. We hope that you’ll enjoy hearing about our conservation work and how you can get involved.

gARDeNiNg APPReNTice – We must teach our expert heritage gardening skills to future generations before they are lost to ensure that our beautiful gardens will always have passionate custodians.

iNDUsTRiAL HeRiTAge APPReNTice – We need specialist skills to operate the complicated victorian equipment at Robert smail’s Printing Works and the 19th-century machinery at Barry Mill, as without them we will lose this precious insight into the lives of our ancestors.

cOUNTRYsiDe APPReNTice – We need to pass on our in-depth knowledge about rare species and delicate habitats so future generations can make the right decisions for scotland’s natural heritage.

sTONemAsON APPReNTice – We must ensure that the traditional techniques best suited to our ancient properties are nurtured and cultivated so that places like Culzean Castle are still as beautiful in 200 years as they are today.

We’ll launch our appeal in late September to support the inspiring work done by apprentices. We hope that you’ll get behind them too!

The NATiONAL TRusT fOR sCOTLAND has brought together 20 amazing stories, told by our people, to give you a special insight into our beautiful properties. follow Trust staff, volunteers and specialists as they tell their stories through online soundslides and vodcasts. You can see our behind-the-scenes work in The Housekeeper’s Tale or find out more about traditional skills in The Stonemason’s Tale.

Discover Scotland’s Stories at www.scotlandsstories.com

Telling the secret stories of scotland through the eyes of those who live them first hand.

Scotland’s Stories

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