HUNTING BAN IS ONE ‘WOKE’ STEP TOO FAR

National Trust proposal is a threat to traditional meets

Sir Winston Churchill’s old house, Chartwell, is a property of the National Trust. If you search on the internet, you will find a splendid photograph of Sir Winston riding there at a meet of the Old Surrey and Burstow Foxhounds. The first time I hacked a horse to a meet, it was to Chartwell. It took an hour to ride to there, so by the time I arrived, Oliver, my mount, was already lathered up. The Churchill connection made that day special for me and it’s one of my favourite hunting memories.

I don’t know whether the hunt still meets at Chartwell, but I’m saddened to see that once again there’s an attempt by members of the National Trust to ban hounds from all its properties. If its resolution gains approval at the trust’s forthcoming AGM, there will be many traditional meets across the country that will never be held again.

I resigned from the National Trust when it banned stag hunting on the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor. In doing so it ignored the wishes of Sir Richard Acland, who donated the land to the trust with the proviso that hunting should still continue. However, as my wife remains a member, I see the trust’s publications, including the schedule for the AGM, which is being held in Harrogate on 30 October.

The National Trust is becoming increasingly woke, so I suspect that it will be quite happy if this resolution is agreed, as it would then no longer have to decide about issuing licences for hunting on its land. It is usual for the trust to recommend whether its members should vote for or against resolutions proposed by members, but in the case of this one, the trustees simply state: “We note the resolution and are keen to hear the views of the membership on the subject.”

If you are a member, please do make your views known to the trust and vote against the resolution. It still allows what it calls “recreational game shooting” on its properties. How long before members propose to ban this, too?

No more meets at National Trust properties?