One of the many things I'd failed to understand before joining National Trust was the important role of the supporter groups. These groups - often called National Trust Centres and Associations - are members of National Trust who get together to organise talks, social events, trips, holidays and all sorts of other interesting things for their members.
Run by a committee of volunteers, they provide a vital social function, bringing together local National Trust members and offering a range of activities for them to get involved with, which are always great fun.
Mottisfont is very lucky to have the support of a number of groups locally who we have built a wonderful and productive relationship with. These include Winchester Association, Christchurch and New Forest Association, Portsmouth Centre, Southampton Centre and Reading Centre.
We've built the relationship by supporting them with recruitment events, hosting special visits, providing speakers for talks, advertising to raise their profile, and even providing the odd editor for their newsletters (...I'm not sure if Steve will mind me calling him "odd!")
And the other thing the supporter groups provide is funding for our restoration and conservation work. Any surplus funds from trips, talks and holidays is donated to a property for a particular project or item. I cannot understate the value of these donations nor how much they are appreciated by staff, volunteers and visitors.
In the past, Mottisfont has received donations for our courtyard gates, restoration of the lead finial in the yew octagon, restoration and marbling of the bookcase in the boys' room, disabled buggy, funds to go towards our walled garden appeal, charcoal kilns for our countryside team, restoration of the maids' rooms, interpretation for the cellarium...and I could go on.
The latest kind donation will see the restoration of our 200 year old marble benches:
...back to their original home:
And also the restoration of the roll-top desk, which was donated by the Russell family recently (donor family of Mottisfont to the National Trust) and part of the original collection in the house:
It will be so great seeing this table returned to Mottisfont. And a very big "THANK you" to our friends at our local supporter groups!
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