Letter: Deer cull
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: If the axiom "no publicity is bad publicity" holds true then the Friends of the National Trust (Font) are grateful to Kim Sengupta ("Pro-hunting lobby group `misled Trust'", 7 October) for his one-sided article about Font.
Font's skyrocketing success since its kitchen-table inception last April has astonished us, but it only confirms that Font's concern that the disregard and countermanding of a major donor's wishes by the National Trust executive is not only deeply worrying but that this betrayal is widely felt among the National Trust membership. What future donor will risk having a gift to the National Trust treated with the disdain that Sir Richard Acland's has been?
Sir Richard, never a hunting man, gave his large inheritance of the Killerton and Holnicote estates to the National Trust to be preserved for the nation, but with the proviso that stag hunting should continue as long as it had the support of his neighbours and was legal. For almost half a century successive directors of the National Trust confirmed the terms of this agreement. But now there has been a shameful overturning of his wishes. This is what Font is trying to redress.
Neither "subterfuge" nor "infiltration" will be needed to right a betrayal of trust.
JO COLLINS
CHARLES COLLINS
Font Co-ordinators
Crowcombe, Somerset
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments