NT Scotland facing crisis as visitors stay at home
THE heritage body responsible for some of Scotland’s most visited historic landmarks has haemorrhaged 1,000 members a week during the Covid-19 crisis.
The National Trust for Scotland has been forced to dip into its financial reserves, furlough some of its staff and delay projects at traditionally its busiest time.
Chief executive Simon Skinner said: ‘Our sources of income have been disrupted by the public health emergency and associated restrictions. We are looking at all possible options to reduce costs further.’
Mr Skinner added that the shutdown had resulted in ‘a significant fall in income’ for the charity, which looks after sites such as Culzean Castle in Ayrshire and Culloden battlefield near Inverness.
At the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, the trust’s membership loss was four times that of the same time last year and peaked at 1,000 members a week.
Around 2 per cent of its 360,000 memberships have been cancelled since the beginning of March.
Mr Skinner said: ‘We’ve put together interactive online and web content so that there are still opportunities to engage with Scotland’s rich heritage.’