The National Trust was in another woke row last night after forcing out a group of elderly volunteer gardeners, claiming they were not the ‘right fit’ in its drive for inclusivity.
The 13 gardeners, who have spent their retirement tending award-winning gardens at Mottistone Manor on the Isle of Wight, were devastated to learn by email that the trust was ‘terminating the volunteering agreement’.
It claimed the gardeners, with more than 100 years of NT volunteering experience, had failed to attend health and safety briefings, refused to accept sustainability changes and created a culture where ‘individuals feel free to act or speak without regard for others’.
But the furious volunteers say the allegations are fabricated and called on trust director general Hilary McGrady to investigate.
Their spokesman Graham Field, 76, a former civil servant who has worked for 12 years at the gardens, which are mentioned in the Domesday Book, said the volunteers had been denied access to an impartial complaints process.
He said: ‘We have been caught up in some politicised agenda when all we ever wanted to do was to tell the story of Mottistone. With a cold and dismissive click of a send button, over 100 years of gardening skill, site-specific knowledge and hard work were lost.’
In an email to Ms McGrady, he added: ‘Some volunteers feel there has been an orchestrated campaign to get rid of them, so unprecedented have been the attacks. Against this background the three newest and least experienced arrivals were allowed to work throughout the “pause” while all long-serving volunteers were excluded. This is discriminatory.’
He rebuffed the trust’s stance that the volunteers had refused to accept changes.
The 13 gardeners, who have spent their retirement tending award-winning gardens at Mottistone Manor on the Isle of Wight, were devastated to learn by email that the trust was ‘terminating the volunteering agreement’
It claimed the gardeners, with more than 100 years of NT volunteering experience, had failed to attend health and safety briefings
The furious volunteers say the allegations are fabricated and called on trust director general Hilary McGrady to investigate
Last night Cornelia van der Poll of Restore Trust, which campaigns to reinstate the National Trust’s traditional values, said volunteers at other NT properties had similar experiences
Their spokesman Graham Field, 76, a former civil servant who has worked for 12 years at the gardens, which are mentioned in the Domesday Book, said the volunteers had been denied access to an impartial complaints process. Pictured: Jackie and Graham Field
Last night Cornelia van der Poll of Restore Trust, which campaigns to reinstate the National Trust’s traditional values, said volunteers at other NT properties had similar experiences.
‘Pity the National Trust doesn’t seem to value the amazing resource it has in volunteers,’ she added.
The National Trust didn’t respond to repeated requests to comment.
But it previously told a horticultural trade publication: ‘Some volunteers chose not to continue volunteering following a pause while we developed a new approach for the future of the garden at Mottistone.
‘We recognise that change can be challenging and for some, the new ways of working and expectations were not the right fit. We remain committed to fostering an inclusive and rewarding volunteering culture at Mottistone.’
The charity last year received a backlash for a vegan overhaul of its cafes. It excluded Christian holidays from its ‘inclusivity and wellbeing’ calendar in 2021.
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National Trust in new woke row as 13 volunteer gardeners are terminated for failing to be ‘inclusive’
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