Trust proposes to shorten mission statement

ALL 300,000 members of NTS are being asked to help shape the future of the organisation in a questionnaire expected to be distributed over the next few weeks.

They will be told that the trust proposes to shelve its historic and lengthy mission statement in favour of a simple "core purpose" as the basis for a five-year strategy to put the charity on a more sound footing.

A clear new mission statement was one of the key recommendations of the independent review of NTS conducted by former Holyrood presiding officer George Reid.

The proposed statement, which members will be asked to comment on, simply reads: "The purpose of the National Trust for Scotland is to conserve and promote our heritage."

The previous mission statement read: "The National Trust for Scotland shall be established for the purposes of promoting the permanent preservation for the benefit of the nation of lands and buildings in Scotland of historic or national interest or natural beauty and also of articles and objects of historic or national interest and as regards lands for the preservation (so far as practicable) of their natural aspect and features and animal and plant life and as regards buildings for the preservation (so far as practicable) of their architectural or historic features and contents so far as of national or historic interest."

A spokesman for NTS said: "This (new statement] may not seem at all surprising or radical and, in fact, seems quite obvious.

"However, the point is that over the best part of 80 years, it could be argued that the trust had at times diffused its focus and become involved in things that were 'nice to do' but really didn't reflect a core purpose shaped around heritage of national significance.

"It is a necessary step to find a definition of purpose we all agree on and then ensure everything we do is shaped by it and not the other way round."

Members will also be asked to list what they think NTS's top three priorities should be over the next three years. Options will include becoming financially sustainable, disposing of sites with limited heritage value, focusing investment on key properties, buying more properties, sharing services and management with partners, increasing memberships, more involvement of local communities and more marketing and promotion.

The questionnaire will also gauge the views of the members on which kind of properties they like visiting - and what type they would like to see NTS investing in in future years These include castles, palaces, battlefields, monuments and museums and gardens.

In his introduction to the questionnaire, trust chairman Sir Kenneth Calman will state: "We are producing a new strategic plan that will lead the trust towards financial sustainability."