Catherine’s Page

Catherine Leonard is the Secretary General of INTO

• Secretariat News (September – November 2018) Latest news from the INTO Secretariat The big news this quarter is that our proposal to the Helen Hamlyn Trust has been approved and we have started the recruitment process for our new Deputy Secretary-General.  This exciting new capacity building programme will enable us to better support our members in the achievement of their objectives.  It ...
• INTO Europe: Learning and sharing workshop (5 November 2018) European collaboration was focus of INTO’s first ever round table discussion in London on 5 November.  INTO members, volunteers and supporters joined colleagues from the UK heritage sector to learn and share. (See the full programme here.) Why Europe? Well, for obvious reasons really.   But also because 2018 is European Year of Cultural Heritage.  And INTO has been ...
• Capacity Building for the National Trust Ideal: A grant from the Helen Hamlyn Trust The Trustees of INTO are delighted to announce a new grant from the Helen Hamlyn Trust for £275,780, over the next three years, to support the “growth of the charity’s ability to catalyse and grow the international family of National Trusts and to develop and promote the charity’s global messages more visibly”. INTO Chairman, Dame Fiona ...
• Fit for the Future (Weekly blog, 4 November 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Recently I attended the Fit for the Future ‘Network Harvest’ here in London.  Fit for the Future is an environmental sustainability network of charities, heritage organisations, cultural venues, public sector bodies and others.  These groups work together in order to become more climate-friendly, adaptive and resilient.   Once a year, the Fit ...
• 24 hours in Paris (Weekly blog, 28 October 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I was delighted to be invited to Paris by INTO members, Union REMPART, this weekend.  As part of the International Heritage Fair, REMPART organised an event focused on volunteer involvement in heritage.  I was asked to speak about the National Trust, INTO and the future of engagement.  I joined other ...
• Launch of Kulturerbe Bayern, the Bavarian National Trust (Weekly Blog, 21 October 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Next month I will be joining European colleagues to celebrate the establishment of Kulturerbe Bayern, the Bavarian National Trust. It’s a great pleasure to be part of the creation of a this new organisation.  Moreover an honour to have been invited to address the launch. Kulturerbe Bayern will take care of cultural ...
• Joining Rempart at the Salon du Patrimoine on 27 October 2018 We are delighted to have been invited to participate in a debate hosted by INTO members, Union REMPART as part of the 2018 International Heritage Fair. Each year, REMPART offers to more than 3,500 people from France and abroad an experience of heritage through participatory, collective and civic action. Because heritage has no borders, REMPART and ...
• Official launch of Innocastle and the first study visit in Romania Tuesday, 9 October 2018 Innocastle, an ambitious new European project dedicated to castles, manors and estates was launched last week, on the 2nd of October 2018 in Bucharest, Romania.  We are delighted to be part of this important partnership! At European level, many castles and manors have difficulties in maintaining or adapting themselves for the future . ...
• When in Romania … (Weekly blog, 7 October 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, I have been in Romania with our Innocastle partners.   This was the first of several study visits that are a core part of the project learning.  It was hosted by the INP or National Institute of Heritage. Study visit to Romania The study visits aim to generate an exchange of ...
• Family history matters (Weekly blog, 23 September 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Family history I spent this weekend talking with cousins about “Recollections of an Octogenarian”, the memoires of our great, great, great aunt.  Like all good book clubs, part of the joy was simply in being together.  But unlike many, which can easily morph into purely social events, we kept on ...
• Secretariat News (July – September 2018) Latest news from the INTO Secretariat In June, Bill and Catherine joined the Trustees in New York, kindly hosted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.   It was a great meeting but it was also wonderful to see something of the Trust’s operations (at Lyndhurst and the Philip Johnson Glasshouse) and meet some of their contacts ...
• Fire! Lessons from Rio (Weekly blog, 9 September 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General The terrible fire at the National Museum of Brazil has shocked and saddened us all.  Thankfully there have been no reports of loss of life or injury.  But the loss of so many irreplaceable artefacts – Egyptian mummies, frescoes from Pompeii, and the 11,500-year-old remains of a woman known as ...
• INTO joins Mobilization to Unite Cultural Heritage for Climate Action I’ve had a break from blogging over the summer but this morning received an update on the Cultural Heritage Mobilization which I thought I would share here: What is the Cultural Heritage Mobilization? The urgent need for increased ambition by the cultural heritage sector on climate change is uniting culture, heritage, indigenous, sustainability and community organizations from ...
• Marvellous volunteers (Weekly blog, 12 August 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I’ve been thinking about volunteers this week.  Firstly, I received a report back from the team we sent to advise the National Trust for Georgia.   Secondly, I’ve been visiting properties and met, once again, some truly amazing and dedicated volunteers.   And lastly, we’ve taken on a new volunteer in the ...
• Kicking off INNOCASTLE (Weekly blog, 5 August 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, we have been looking more closely at the INNOCASTLE activity schedule.  INTO/National Trust’s role is as a knowledge partner.   Which means that we will share our expertise and experience in all aspects of heritage management.  INTO/NT will also lead the learning activities, such as the study visits and ...
• The inevitability of change (Weekly blog, 22 July 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Time for a change Change has been on my mind this week.   Last week was the end of term and the end of our son’s time at primary school.  I’ve found myself wondering where those seven years went.  Reminiscing over the lost years and feeling nervous for the future.   To be ...
• Membership matters (Weekly blog, 15 July 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last week, I went to a membership engagement conference organised by the Association of Association Executives.  Engage 2018 sought to explore key issues in membership development and provide an opportunity to connect with people in similar roles to mine.   I attended the Associations Congress at the end of last year ...
• Trustees meeting: Outcomes and Impact (Weekly blog, 8 July 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I described the ‘fun’ bits of our Trustees meeting in my last blog.   Here’s a summary of the official content! INTO Family The Trustees agreed that we must continue to focus on member retention and recruitment.   They did not feel it was right to charge for services, unless as a ...
• American dreams (Weekly blog, 1 July 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I have just returned from New York where the American National Trust for Historic Preservation hosted our 2018 Trustees meeting.  What a week!  Two days in the boardroom at wonderful National Trust properties, Lyndhurst and the Philip Johnson Glass House.  A day in Newport RI with the amazing Preservation Society. ...
• Secretariat Report (April – June 2018) Latest news from the INTO Secretariat This quarter the Secretariat continued to make progress on our Family, Growth, Voice and Strength strategies (described in more detail below). In addition we have put a lot of energy into the forthcoming Trustees meeting, the objectives of which touch on all our strategies.  Working face-to-face on the INTO business plan; ...
• Wetland worries in Zimbabwe (Weekly blog, 17 June 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week has in many ways been more of the same as last week… one thing that particularly stood out however was an enquiry we had about an endangered wetland in Zimbabwe. Save Monavale wetland! A group of passionate activists trying to save a major and very important wetland in Harare approached ...
• Tuesday 19 June 2018: “To be or not to be an aristocrat with a chateau to keep …” We are delighted to share details of the Czech National Trust’s annual London event: When:   19th June 2018 at 6.30pm Where:  St John’s Notting Hill, London W11 2NN Event:    Historic UNESCO town of Telc – an exhibition and debate “To be or not to be an aristocrat with a chateau to keep …” Docent Josef  Stulc, former ...
• Conservation conversations (Weekly blog, 10 June 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Every now and then it feels worth doing an ‘update’ blog. Just to give an impression of the variety of activity at the INTO Secretariat. Conservation conversation So this week began with an early meeting with Ben Cowell, Director of the UK’s Historic Houses and Irena Edwards, Chairman of the Czech National ...
• Project Reporting (Weekly blog, 3 June 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Our latest project report for Encourage African Youth To Embrace Their Heritage was due this week.  As it was half-term and I had a few days off, I thought I’d include the report in this blog-spot. The way GlobalGiving organises all of this – from the prompt to write to the attractive ...
• Magical meetings (Weekly blog, 27 May 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I’m sure that many of us feel we have too many meetings. Or perhaps too many disappointing meetings? It’s rare to find someone who thinks they need more meetings. However, strangely I sometimes find myself in that category. My ‘I’ preference, which I’ve written about before, means I’m happy working on ...
• Unity in diversity (Weekly blog, 20 May 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Diversity was centre stage yesterday at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.   It was a brilliant, multicultural, multiracial, multinational occasion.  (I hope you spotted the role of the National Trust’s Cliveden House. More about that later!)  And tomorrow, 21 May 2018, we celebrate World Day for Cultural Diversity. But ...
• Beauty is but a lease from nature (Weekly blog, 13 May) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Reclaiming beauty In my latest coaching session we reviewed values and went on to talk about strengths.  We also considered emotional intelligence ahead of a 360⁰ questionnaire. If you read my earlier blog on values, you’ll know a bit about where I come from on this.  However, during the discussion I ...
• Urban Heritage (Weekly blog, 6 May 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Mainstreaming culture and heritage in urban regeneration A few years ago I met a group thinking of establishing a ‘National Trust’ in Malaysia.   They went on to establish the National Heritage Trust and Yvonne Lim attended our conference in Bali. The group was called Think City and this week, we had the chance ...
• Apples and oranges (Weekly blog, 29 April 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Comparing apples and oranges is a metaphor for contrasting two things that cannot practically be compared.  I normally like to group things together in my blog but this week, everything is so diverse there is no natural grouping.  So my theme is apples and oranges (apples do come up later!). ...
• Secretariat Report (February – April 2018) Latest news from the INTO Secretariat Whilst our usual activity (described below under Family, Growth, Voice and Strength) continued this quarter, the Secretariat has been involved more than usually in UK-focused conversations. Mostly about what international heritage co-operation might look like post-Brexit. We were delighted to feature in a report published by The Heritage Alliance’s earlier this month (left) on the ...
• Meeting expectations (Weekly blog, 15 April 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Meeting deadlines After a relaxing Easter break, it’s been full steam ahead this week!   Back at my desk on Tuesday and one of my first jobs was to contact all our governance volunteers.  We are nearing the end of INTO’s restructuring and – ahead of our meeting on 26 April – ...
• Values (Weekly blog, 8 April 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Values have been on my mind this week.  I’ve been on holiday, but what better time to think about things that really matter?  And skiing is really very good for thinking.   Like running, the rhythm and privacy provide space for reflection.   In addition, the beautiful landscapes drenched in spring sunshine ...
• Listening and sharing (Weekly blog, 1 April 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Listening sessions Listening and sharing have been high on the agenda this week.   In advance of our face-to-face board meeting this June, I’m talking to a lot of people about INTO.   Board members, Secretariat volunteers, INTO members and other stakeholders.   Open and honest conversations about what’s working well ...
• INTO Youth (Weekly blog, 25 March 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Youth engagement This week, I had a great conversation with Anika Molesworth about ‘INTO Youth’.  Engaging more young people in INTO’s work was a suggestion from our last international conference.  So since Bali, we’ve been looking at different ways to achieve this. This weekend has shown us – if we needed showing ...
• A new funding partnership (Weekly blog, 18 March 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Funding approved! This week, we heard that our funding application to the Interreg Europe programme had been approved.   Whoop!    Although not a huge project, we have been working on this proposal for several years, so it’s great news that it’s now going ahead. Interreg Europe helps regional and local governments across ...
• Growing global capacity for conservation: Catherine Leonard Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General, International National Trusts Organisation “By bringing together the INTO family, we can begin to create the sort of world where protecting our heritage is seen as integral to our global society’s future” When did you start working for the National Trust? I got my first job with the National Trust in 1999 as the European ...
• Snow days! (Weekly blog, 4 March 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Snow has taken over our lives this week.   I can’t even quite remember when it started.  There was definitely snow on the ground on Tuesday night as I recall crossing the field in the moonlight.  It was nearly a full moon and felt almost like daylight.   The sparkling snow reflecting ...
• Queue jumping (Weekly blog, 26 February 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Jam packed It took me thirty minutes in a stationary queue to decide to go another way to work this morning.   Why? Well, the queue was due to congestion at the junction where I was trying exit the motorway.   But no, I wasn’t wondering about the reason for the queue.   I was ...
• Rural roots (Weekly blog, 28 January 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Rural idylls This week has been one of consolidation: Development reviews; checking in with new members and new volunteers; preparing for the next Board meeting.   I’ve also been helping our Czech National Trust colleagues with a presentation about the INTO family.  Looking back at the history of the movement ...
• Secretariat Report (December 2017 – January 2018) Latest news from the INTO Secretariat Our first on-line Secretariat Report (November 2017) was widely welcomed.  So here is a similar-style note of the last two months. December and January have been relatively quiet and a good opportunity to consolidate.  Thus we have been looking forward to the new Business Plan and objectives for next year.  And ...
• French-spiration (Weekly Blog, 21 January 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General On Thursday afternoons, I teach French (as a volunteer) at the children’s school.  So it was wonderful to hear in the Thursday morning news about French President’s visit to the UK.  Moreover the prospect of the Bayeux Tapestry coming to London at some point in the future. Emmanuel Macron, France’s charismatic ...
• 10 National Trust gardens to explore (Weekly blog, 7 January 2018) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Next week, I’m giving a talk to a local gardening club.   So I thought I’d share some of my research.  I was a latecomer to the enjoyment of visiting gardens.   Having grown up with a massive garden which seemed to occupy much of my parents’ time, perhaps I ...
• ‘Twas the week before Christmas (Weekly blog, 17 December 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Two things stood out this week.   Firstly, I was lucky enough to attend the Association Congress in Manchester.  Three days of intensive learning about how to run a trade association/network.    A perfect way to end the year, looking forward to the next. Olympian inspiration There were lots of fabulous presentations ...
• Snow globes (Weekly blog, 10 December 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General There is something about snow.  The way it gives a new perspective to the familiar.  The way it dampens sound.   The way it fills your heart with childish delight.  You’d have thought that, having spent ten winters in the Alps, I’d have got used to snow.  But no. It still ...
• A week of birthdays (3 December 2017) #10yearsofINTO A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Ten years ago today, INTO was launched at the 12th International Conference of National Trusts in New Delhi.   We have been marking INTO’s achievements since then for several months now, including a lovely party at our offices on Wednesday.  It was so nice to see friends old and ...
• #GivingTuesday: Thanks to all our supporters and donors! Here’s a video we shared from Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General, on #GivingTuesday thanking all our donors and supporters. We couldn’t do it without you.   Thank you! You can find out more about our Encourage African Youth project here. You can find out more about our Amicus programme here.
• INTO is 10 years old! (3 December 2017) #10yearsofINTO   2007 was the year the world began to discover the scale of the financial crisis.  Apple unveiled the “iphone”.  The Saffron Revolution took place in Myanmar.  JK Rowling published her final Harry Potter story.   And the International National Trusts Organisations was launched on 3 December in New Delhi. Given the impending reduction in funding available ...
• Secretariat Report, November 2017 Welcome to our new look Secretariat Report  ! For every Board meeting, the INTO Secretariat prepares a detailed report of activities. We’ve tried different ways of doing this and this is our first ‘web page’ version. As ever, progress is reported against strategic priorities: Family, Growth, Voice and Strength. We are currently developing our new Business Plan, building on ...
• Family gatherings (Weekly blog, 12 November 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I spent this afternoon preparing for a discussion tomorrow about the INTO family with National Trust staff in Swindon.  In the process, I took a look back at the presentation I made at our conference in September. Wisdom of crowds Firstly, I said how much I enjoyed being INTO’s Secretary-General, helping our ...
• Team players (Weekly blog, 5 November 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last week, we had a mostly face-to-face Secretariat team meeting.  Five of us gathered at Grosvenor Gardens and Bill joined in by web from Victoria.   Our team is rather disbursed so getting together in person is fairly rare.   A precious opportunity to focus combined energies on driving INTO forwards. We all ...
• INTO reminiscing (Weekly blog, 29 October 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week I have been reminiscing.  We’re gearing up for INTO’s 10th anniversary on 3 December, I have been scouring the archives.   I’m also writing two short articles about INTO.   One for the National Trust here for the Member & Visitor Care Manual, whilst the second is a case study for ...
• Funding our future (Weekly blog, 15 October 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I participated in the “Funding our future: Fundraising for heritage conservation” workshop in Bali. As I got some good feedback on my last blog (Too old and too boring) I thought I’d write a quick post about this. We met in a small traditional house, reconstructed in the Taman Nusa cultural ...
• Young people and heritage (Weekly blog, 8 October 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I very much enjoyed the ICNT workshop ‘Too old and too boring: How to involve young people in the heritage movement’.    At one stage I was going to present INTO’s ‘Trust Kids’ work and share some good practice from across the network.  But then I was able to persuade ...
• Conservation models (Weekly blog, 2 October 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This morning I met a group of Flemish politicians, exploring ways of conserving their national heritage. Not surprisingly, they had sought a meeting with the National Trust (NTEWNI), which I was happy to be part of.  As the Trust’s Government Affairs Director explained how the organisation operated however, I found myself ...
• International exchange (Weekly blog, 24 September 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Time to share our most precious assets … The subject of international placements, exchanges and secondments came up often during the INTO Conference in Bali. At the closing ceremony Fiona Reynolds urged delegates to come forward with concrete offers and suggestions. As a consequence we are now beginning the match-making process ...
• Conference learning (Weekly blog, 17 September 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Our biennial Conference ended yesterday. As I’m en route home, I’m posting my final day’s speech by way of a blog for today.  (More to follow!) It’s good to share As we close the 17th International Conference of National Trusts, I want to take you back to the first. Held in 1978 it was ...
• Down on the farm (Weekly blog, 3 September 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Farmer’s granddaughter ‘I’m a farmer’s daughter’ is one of the first things my mother will say to anyone new she meets.   It’s an essential part of her DNA.  I don’t think about my farming heritage in quite the same way, although yesterday’s visit to the local farm show did get ...
• Small Grants and Big News (Weekly blog, 6 August 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Small Grants Programme Two things this week. Firstly, Monday was the deadline for applications to the Small Grants Programme.   These are now being reviewed by the panel.  I only took a quick glance but it looks like a tough competition this time with some really strong proposals.   Good luck to one ...
• Busman’s Summer Holiday (Weekly blog, 30 July 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Summer holidays are in the air!   This week, the children finally broke up and the long break is under way.  Not quite as long as I remember it being however.   25 July seems a very late finish, although they do go back on 5 September.  Six weeks on the dot. I ...
• A matter of time (Weekly blog, 23 July 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Time for a change It’s been six weeks since my last confession, sorry blog, as I have been rather snowed under caring for my aging mother.  Time has become a very precious commodity.  And blogging had gone the way of exercise and housework: relegated to extraneous activity.   Things are beginning to ...
• Volunteering: ‘Not just hands but heads’ (Weekly blog, 11 June 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Volunteering was the theme of this week and I participated in an excellent webinar on Friday.  We’re hoping these will become regular Friday events in the future so do watch out for the next ones. INTO Volunteering webinar The webinar was led by Shila Brown, formerly National Volunteering and Community Manager with ...
• A possible new project for INTO (Weekly blog, 4 June 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General On Monday, I spent a hot Bank Holiday in Brussels meeting partners in a new project within the Interreg Europe programme. Project preparation Last year, through our colleagues at the Gelderland Trust, we were introduced to the people developing INNOCASTLE.   This is a project seeking to revitalise castles, manors and estates by developing ...
• Keep it in the family (Weekly blog, 28 May 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, we welcomed a new member of the INTO family, Bodenfreiheit – Verein zur Erhaltung von Freiraeumen.  Bodenfreiheit is our first Austrian member organisation.  Their goal is to engage people in securing land (Boden) for public enjoyment.  Members contribute €120 pa and the society uses these donations to buy ...
• Heritage in Trust (Weekly blog, 21 May 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General A Trust model for Russia? So this week began with a meeting with Oleg Ryzkkov, Deputy Minister of Culture for the Russian Federation. Recently promoted from Head of the Russian Heritage Agency, Mr Ryzkhov was on a fact-finding visit with the National Trust here. He is responsible for all cultural heritage ...
• Secretariat news (Weekly blog, 14 May 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last Thursday we held one of our quarterly Board and Secretariat teleconferences.  It’s a bit lazy but I’m going to use my Secretariat Report as the basis for this blog because I’m fresh out of ideas!  (However, it is good to recycle … !) My report is an opportunity to update ...
• An INTO Handbook for Heritage Trusts (Weekly blog, 7 May 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Handbook for Heritage Trusts This week, I have been thinking a lot about our new manual, ‘From Start Up to Sustainability: An INTO Handbook for Heritage Trusts’. The idea of the Handbook is to showcase the work, philosophy and organisational structures of National Trusts around the world. It is intended as a ...
• Raising the roof (Weekly blog, 30 April 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Roof-tops This week, we dropped in on one of our local NT places, the Vyne.  Oh my, what a treat!  We used to be fairly regular visitors when a friend of ours was Head Gardener, but haven’t been for a while.   Wow.  We had a wonderful time exploring the new exhibitions ...
• Trust Kids! (Weekly blog, 23 April 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week we celebrated World Heritage Day with a speech by INTO Chairman, Fiona Reynolds, in Cambridge, and the launch of our new resource, Trust Kids! World Heritage Day UNESCO designated 18 April as International Day for Monuments and Sites in 1983. While UNESCO is responsible for the listing of World Heritage Sites, ...
• Feeling nostalgic (Weekly blog, 9 April 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Feeling nostalgic I’ve been feeling rather nostalgic this week, for a number of reasons. On Tuesday, I met INTO Chairman, Fiona Reynolds, at the National Trust HQ in Swindon for an INTO brainstorming session.    It felt like a (lovely) step back in time! I count myself lucky to have worked with ...
• Saint Lucia: A causeway for concern (Weekly blog, 2 April 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General News from Saint Lucia The Saint Lucia National Trust is fighting two planning battles at either end of their beautiful island. At the INTO members Global Meet-up on Tuesday, Director Bishnu Tulsie briefed us on these alarming development proposals. Firstly, to build a dolphin park at Pigeon Island, one of the Trust’s ...
• A look back at 2016 (Weekly blog, 26 March 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I’ve been finalising the 2016 INTO Annual Review this week.   Just waiting for the figures from our Accountant now and then we’re good to go.   Having this week also drafted a long speech for World Heritage Day however, my creative juices are running dry.  It’s cheating but I’m ...
• New ideas (Weekly blog, 19 March 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones,” said John Maynard Keynes.  Well, I’m rather regretting blogging about time management and spring cleaning last week! Think big This week has been full of the kind of big thinking I was extolling.  Finalising the new ...
• Spring cleaning (Weekly blog, 13 March 2017) A short blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Spring cleaning was my goal this weekend.  Inspired by National Spring Cleaning Week (6-12 March), I had a long list of jobs from rotating matresses to reorganising the larder. Sad to say, I didn’t complete the challenge.  These things always take longer than you think … (more about that later). Still, ...
• Russian reminiscences (Weekly blog, 5 March 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General On Friday, I caught a brief report by the BBC’s Russian Correspondent, Sarah Rainsford, in which she took a nostalgic look back at visits to Moscow.  I was momentarily transported from a wet drive home to my own five months undergraduate placement to Voronezh in 1992. Voronezh 300 miles south of Moscow, Voronezh ...
• INTO EC/Board Meeting (Weekly blog, 26 February 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General We held our most recent EC/Board meeting on 16 February, as I mentioned in my last blog.   (This one actually covers a fortnight ago, as I was in France last week enjoying the winter sunshine.  Sigh.) Conference calling We hold our EC/Board calls by webinar.   There is something really magical about ...
• Collaboration: Internal and external (Weekly blog, 12 February 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Internal collaboration I’ve just finalised the Secretariat Report for our INTO Board meeting next week. We hold about five of these every year by teleconference and one in person.   In addition to the reporting back, it’s a chance to discuss strategic issues and to take the pulse of the broader INTO membership, ...
• GlobalGiving crowdfunding experience (Weekly blog, 5 February 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General You will have not been able to miss our GlobalGiving campaign at the end of last year – many thanks for following the story, sharing and donating!  Here is some feedback on the experience from my perspective, which I hope you will find useful. What is GlobalGiving? We applied to join the ...
• Archives, monuments and gardens (Weekly blog, 30 January 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Endangered Archives Programme Last week, I had a great conversation with Ruth Hansford, Grants Portfolio Manager at the British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme.  (She’s new to the role and you can read her first impressions of the job here.) We talked about the challenges of physical digitisation as well as access and rights.  ...
• Historic House Futures (Weekly blog, 22 January 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General 70 historic house businesses may fail in the next five years, according to UK Historic Houses Association (HHA).   Rather a startling statistic from a great talk by Ben Cowell, HHA Director General (and former National Trust Director of the East of England) here in London on Thursday. Historic Houses Association The HHA represents a group of over ...
• New Year catch-up (Weekly blog, 16 January 2017) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General I’ve got out of the habit of writing my blog over the Christmas/New Year break so this is just a quick summary of what’s been going on.   In the run up to Christmas we were all very involved in the final stages of the INTO Africa GlobalGiving campaign to raise funds ...
• Places I remember, all my life (3 December 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General On this day in 1965, the Beatles released their sixth studio album, Rubber Soul.  The track list boasts many memorable hits, among them: Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, Michelle … In my life But it’s track 11 that particuarly interests me. John Lennon was only 24 when he wrote ‘In My Life’ ...
• Heritage education on Universal Children’s Day A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General 20th November is the UN’s Universal Children’s Day.   It was established in 1954 to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.   So today we celebrate how INTO is helping deliver this mission through its heritage education work. Heritage education When I first graduated, I worked in education for several years and ...
• The end of cultural pessimism: People power in Slovakia (Weekly blog, 13 November 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, I was in Bratislava at the excellent ‘Who owns the Monuments’ Conference.  Organised as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the National Trust of Slovakia, I was thrilled to be invited having first got to know the organization through Martin Kovac and Peter Táborský back in 1999. A ...
• Comings and goings (Weekly blog, 6 November 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General I’ve just been listening to Oliver’s pod-cast from COP 22 and thinking to myself how lucky we are to have him and the team representing the National Trusts of the world in Marrakech for the fortnight of UN Climate Change talks.  Do check out his updates when you can ...
• Reflections (Weekly blog, 30 October 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General It was half-term this week so I’ve been on leave.  Well on and off leave, as are most of us these days.   Last Sunday we took the children to Oxford for the day.   Much of our time was spent in the Ashmolean.  Wow and double wow.  What an utterly amazing place!   ...
• Variety is the spice of life (Weekly blog, 23 October 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Another busy week with more training from Global Giving which is helping us to tell the story of our Sierra Leone/Uganda/Zimbabwe heritage education exchange project – the pressure is on as details need to be finalised by the end of next week.  (Gulp!)  Noémie and I went to a session at their ...
• Two very different highlights this week: Crowdfunding and traditional architecture (Weekly blog, 16 October 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last Sunday we heard that INTO had been accepted onto the Global Giving Winter 2016 Gateway to Crowdfunding Challenge.   Exciting stuff.   We had applied in a bit of a hurry as Dan spotted the opportunity just days before the deadline and Noémie had just been on a Giving to Heritage ...
• Reminiscing (Weekly blog, 9 October 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary General The week began with the sad news of the death of William Zuill, former Executive Director of the Bermuda National Trust and one of the founding fathers of the international National Trust movement.  I searched through the files on my computer and wrote a posting for the INTO website ...
• How does heritage evolve? (Weekly blog, 2 October 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General How does heritage evolve?  That’s the question behind the ‘Shifting Identities’ session at the 2016 INTBAU World Congress, which INTO is going to help explore following some good discussions with Harriet Wennberg this week. INTBAU, or the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism, is dedicated to the creation of ...
• A National Trust for Thailand? (Weekly blog, 25 September 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last week, together with Oliver Maurice and Noémie Caillat, I met a group of researchers from Thailand exploring the possibility of a Thai National Trust.   They were directed to INTO via the British Council in Bangkok, which in itself is rather pleasing as it reinforces INTO’s goal of becoming the go-to place ...
• La dolce vita (Weekly blog, 18 September 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I came back from the INTO EC/Board meeting in Milan first thing this morning.  A wonderful few days with the global team – and a fantastic chance to find out more about our Italian INTO members FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano – the Italian National Trust). I know board meetings can sometimes ...
• Taking inspiration from our Secretariat volunteers, NT staff and experts in Jacobean architecture (Weekly blog, 11 September 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General On Wednesday, many of our wonderful Secretariat volunteers were in the office. First a discussion about INTO’s finances with our Accountant Bob, prior to the EC/Board meeting next week (what a way to start the day – and before 8.30am too!).  Thankfully our figures all add up and are looking fairly healthy. Next ...
• Growing your own National Trust (Weekly Blog, 4 September 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, I have been talking to a group thinking of establishing a National Trust in Thailand. They are visiting the UK later this month and we have been putting together a programme to show them how the NT works in this country – and to draw on the wide ...
• La rentrée arrive (Weekly blog, 28 August 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Here in the UK we are nearly at the end of the summer holidays and it’s been wonderful.   We definitely can’t complain about the lack of sunshine and it’s been fabulous seeing the children spending so much time outdoors. They, like me, have mixed feelings about the return to school.   Mostly ...
• National Trust of Lebanon? (Weekly blog, 21 August 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General This week, I have been helping our INTO Strategic Advisor for Lebanon, Jennie Hartley, with an exciting new project proposal. To be fair, she has done all the work (for which we’re hugely grateful) and I’ve just been chipping in here and there! Jennie writes: “Lebanon is country scarred by ...
• What a week! (Weekly blog, 7 August 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Strange to be sitting back at the computer after nearly four days … Can it really be four days?  Well, yes. I spent Thursday at NTEWNI’s Dyrham Park, Friday and Saturday at Blenheim Palace and Sunday at one of our local Forestry Commission woods.  A veritable feast of outdoor ...
• A picture paints a thousand words (Weekly blog, 31 July 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, I’ve been thinking about photography.  Photos have always been an important way of capturing the essence of life-events and recording them for posterity.  Often helping memory.  (Photos are very important for my Mum whose comprehension of the day-to-day world is diminishing but whose long-term recollections remain spot-on.) Today you’d ...
• Best view of the Mary Rose in 471 years (Weekly blog, 25 July 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General The children broke up from school this week which happily coincided with the reopening of the Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth home of Henry VIII’s warship which sank in 1545. After over 400 years under water, I remember the excitement when the Mary Rose was lifted from the Solent in the ...
• Summer holiday countdown (Weekly blog, 17 July 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard (Secretary-General) Engaging young people with the work of National Trusts around the world In our house, it’s nearly time to sing the ubiquitous end of term song “one more day to go, one more day of sorrow … ” and thoughts have turned to how to entertain the little people for six weeks ...
• Celebrating 50 years of REMPART working holidays (Weekly blog, 10 July 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I first came across REMPART at the Oslo Conference for Voluntary Organisations in the Field of Cultural Heritage in September 2000.   Sabine Guilbert, who was International Relations Manager at the time, presented an organisation which brought together some 150 ngos to discuss issues and exchange experiences, and which promoted cultural ...
• Making peace with nature (Weekly blog, 3 July 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, I have been focussing on our forthcoming Executive Committee/Board teleconference.  We have some interesting papers to discuss including one on the outcomes of the recent INTO Membership Survey. 100% of those who responded said they would recommend INTO membership to another Trust or organisation not currently part of the ...
• Checking out the opposition (Weekly blog, 27 June 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I am behind again this week and writing my blog on a Tuesday instead of a Sunday, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me as I’ve had other things on my mind … As a European and internationalist, you won’t be surprised to learn that I was somewhat disappointed with the ...
• Museum on the move (Weekly blog, 19 June 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I’ve been thinking about membership again this week.   National Trust membership, EU membership (don’t get me started!), INTO membership.  On Wednesday, I had the very great pleasure of attending the Falkland Islands Government Annual Reception in Lincoln’s Inn, London, with one of our wonderful Amicus supporters, Trevor Johnson.   Trevor has ...
• The opening of the tomb … (Weekly blog, 12 June 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This weekend I had the pleasure of representing INTO at the official opening of the first property of the Czech National Trust. INTO has been involved with the CNT for the past five years – from early discussions about whether a National Trust might work, through Oliver’s attendance at meetings in ...
• Taking inspiration from Avebury (Weekly blog, 5 June 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General The highlight of my week was visiting Avebury with Noémie Caillat, our Rempart Service Civique Volunteer, and Monty, my son. Avebury is an unusual National Trust property.  Not only is it a World Heritage Site (together with Stonehenge) it also has a manor house which was dramatically refurbished as part ...
• Fair Helen of the West Indies (Weekly blog, 30 May 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I’m told that Saint Lucia was named ‘Helen of the West Indies’ (Helen as in Troy) because the island kept switching hands between England and France, something that is very much in evidence when you visit, which I had the good fortune to do on my way back from Port of Spain last ...
• Conferencing in the Caribbean (Weekly blog, 22 May 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Yesterday was UN Day of Cultural Diversity and I had the pleasure of celebrating it in Trinidad and Tobago, one of the most culturally diverse places I’ve ever been with its rich melting pot of African, French, Amerindian, Chinese, British, Indian, Spanish, Portuguese and other cultural influences. I was in ...
• Capabilities (Weekly blog, 8 May 2016) This year, we’re celebrating Lancelot ‘Capability‘ Brown’s 300th birthday so when I saw this handy ‘how to spot a Capability Brown landscape’ video on the National Trust (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) twitter feed this week, I thought it might make a good theme for my blog.  It seemed a good reason to reflect on various things, ...
• Membership musings (Weekly Blog, 2nd May 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I’ve been thinking a lot about membership this week.  Membership of INTO (as we welcome two new members); what it means to be a member of INTO (membership benefits, etc as part of Fiona’s ‘family’ strand); the INTO Amicus programme (is it a membership or giving programme?) and the membership ...
• What a week! (Weekly blog, 24 April 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General My week began with our World Heritage Day event in Cambridge which saw INTO Chairman Fiona Reynolds warning that apathy towards our world heritage poses a greater risk to it than climate change, war and conflict or natural disasters. With the help of our colleagues at the National Trust for Scotland, we ...
• A tale of two ski resorts, Weekly blog (10 April 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General I have (lucky me!) been on holiday for the last two weeks.  Skiing in the France.   We spent the first week in Le Seignus d’Allos; a small, off-the-beaten-track resort in the Southern Alps, where we once ran our ski lodge.  We’ve always rather liked the empty pistes, the cranky old lifts, ...
• Brand-stretching, risk-taking, provocative, disruptive (Weekly blog, 20 March 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last week, I was lucky enough to attend a seminar at the Tower of London hosted by Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), in association with World Heritage UK.  It was a fabulous day and I thought I’d briefly share some nuggets from the excellent presentation by Bernard Donoghue, Director of ...
• Commonwealth Day, Monday 14 March (Weekly Blog, 13 March 2016)   A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General 14 March is Commonwealth Day and it will be observed here in London with a special service at Westminster Abbey attended by Her Majesty the Queen, as Head of the Commonwealth. Today the Commonwealth acts as ‘inclusive network for mutual support, development and growth of opportunity and rights for all’, says Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh ...
• 3 March: Celebrating the spirit of Wangari Maathai (Weekly Blog, 6 March 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General A couple of things really stood out for me this week – firstly, we received an update from our colleague Robin Yarrow in Fiji with whom we had shared our sympathies when the Pacific island nation suffered catastrophic losses wreaked by Tropical Storm Winston last month. On Thursday, Robin sent through these pictures ...
• In out, in out, Shake it all about (Weekly Blog, 26 February 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This last week has been full of talk about Europe: the referendum, Brexit, opinion polls … Last weekend the European Council negotiations had me on the edge of my seat.   This weekend, I’m already fed up with it. I was expecting a lot of talk about Europe.  I was expecting a certain amount ...
• Look forward to World Heritage Day, April 18 (weekly blog, 14 February 2016) A blog from Catherine Leonard – Secretary General It has been a fairly quiet week in the office, because I had my head down to complete the application for funding to support our advocacy efforts to address climate change. Today finally submitted – fingers crossed! One exciting thing is that INTO’s newest volunteer, Jorge, has started work on our World ...
• Small Grants, Big Impacts (Weekly Blog, 7 February 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General We are about to launch the next round of our Small Grants Programme (check the website for details).   This scheme provides small scale but catalytic support for members of the INTO family, with a particular focus on knowledge transfer. I was therefore thrilled to receive on Sunday morning an update from the ...
• Uniting for Heritage (Weekly blog, 31 January 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last week, I was invited to the AGM of the IIC (International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works).  It was very interesting to hear more about how they organise their work and their plans for the future. The meeting was followed by a fascinating lecture by Professor Peter Stone OBE, 2016 ...
• Inspiring the future generation of heritage leaders (Weekly blog, 24 January 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This autumn, we welcomed Putri Sasongko to the INTO team.  Putri has been studying for a Masters in Historic Building Conservation at Kingston University here in London and, as a member of BPPI Indonesian Heritage Trust, attended part of the Cambridge Conference.   Inspired by what she learned there about the ...
• 10 things to think about when setting up a National Trust (Weekly blog, 17 January 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General One of the highlights for me this week was a wide-ranging conversation with the team hoping to establish a National Trust in Georgia.  INTO is the leading authority on the work and philosophy of National Trusts around the world and one of our founding objectives is to help communities set up ...
• From Russia with Love (Weekly blog, 10 January 2016) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General Last week was a gentle re-introduction to work after a lovely winter break. Business as usual in the INTO office, while at home I discovered two wonderful new TV series and am now completely hooked! I’m writing this while waiting for ‘Deutschland 83’ to start – a German series about a ...
• Friends and family (Weekly Blog, 20 December 2015) A blog post by INTO Secretary-General, Catherine Leonard This week, we had our INTO Winter Drinks at the office in London.  An opportunity to thank our supporters, particularly our wonderful Amicus members; to reach out to INTO friends here in the British Isles and to spread the word about ICNT 2017 in Indonesia.  In fact, the ...
• Paris is always a good idea* (Weekly blog, 13 December 2015) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Well, what a week! Even if you haven’t been following INTO’s bloggers in Paris (aka Anika, Keith and Oliver), it would be hard not to have noticed the momentous agreement reached in Paris this week. Without repeating everything my colleagues have already said about this year’s COP, it is uplifting ...
• The Writing on the Wall … (Weekly blog, 6 December 2015) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General “The radiant afternoon sunlight of early September was so brilliant that it still seemed like summer … ”  So begins the Writing on the Wall (also known as the Transylvanian Trilogy) by Hungarian aristocrat Miklós Bánffy, published in the 1930s. “Banffy’s trilogy is just about as good as any fiction I have ...
• Happy Birthday Gelderland Trust! (Weekly Blog, 29 November 2015) A blog by Catherine Leonard, Secretary-General This week, I had the pleasure of joining celebrations to mark the 75th jubilee of the Gelderland Trust in Arnhem.  I first got to know this wonderful organisation when I ran the European Network of National Heritage Organisations (ENNHO), which – somewhat surprisingly – was partly inspired by the International ...
• Busman’s holiday (Weekly blog, 15 November 2015) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Wonderful to see the INTO Working Holidays on both our the INTO site and the National Trust’s great new website last week.  Thanks to our project manager, Julie Thompson, for liaising with INTO members to deliver the 2016 programme in an exemplary way.   We all look forward to spaces booking up as quickly as last ...
• Ostrich or Phoenix? (Weekly blog, 8 November 2015) A blog by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General A very interesting day at the World Travel Market this last week.   Not only was walking through the exhibition space like a sumptuous trip around the world in one day, I also attended several very good conference sessions.  The first was on Wellness Tourism.   Not something I would have ...
• INTO the Future (Weekly blog, 1 November 2015) A blog post by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Much of last week was spent preparing for our forthcoming Executive Committee/Board teleconference on 6 November.    (As it was half-term, I also fitted in a family visit to Wimpole Hall – a nice reminder of the Conference, see above!) This will be the first gathering of the new team under the ...
• Was gibt es Neues? Weekly blog from Berlin (25 October 2015) A post by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General Last week, I attended the first Congress of the International Land Conservation Network in Berlin (ILCN).  We began the gathering with field trips to protected areas, all surprisingly close to the city. The first site was Eichwerder Moorwiesen, a wetland recently restored as part of a LIFE project by the ...
• What Catherine did next … (Weekly blog, 18 October 2015) Blog post by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General I love my job.  There really is never a dull moment.  Last week showed how varied life at the INTO Secretariat can be.  Monday began with a team meeting – six of us in the National Trust’s Swindon HQ, 3 on the phone (from London, south of France and ...
• We’ve got the power: National Trust of Guernsey Blog post by Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General So pleased and honoured that my first official outing as INTO Secretary-General, following new Chairman, Fiona Reynold’s announcement at the end of the Cambridge Conference, was to the National Trust of Guernsey’s Annual General Meeting yesterday. What an wonderful organisation.  My impression was of a Trust firmly in the ascendance: ...
• Catherine Leonard appointed INTO Secretary General On September 11th at the close of the 16th International Conference of National Trusts, Dame Fiona Reynolds, Chair of INTO announced that Catherine Leonard had been appointed as the first Secretary General of INTO. Catherine Leonard has served as the Head of the INTO Secretariat for 9 years. Dame Reynolds told the conference attendees that the time ...
• Heritage trusts gather in Cambridge, England, for international conference INTO and the National Trust in the East of England will be hosting the 16th International Conference of National Trusts, with workshops taking place in the surroundings of historic houses such as Wimpole Hall, Anglesey Abbey and Ickworth in Suffolk, as well as the striking landscape of Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve. Delegates from more than 70 ...
• Full programme for 16th International Conference of National Trusts published   INTO, the International National Trusts Organisation together with co-hosts, the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has published the full programme for the 16th International Conference of National Trusts. The International Conference of National Trusts, taking place from 7th – 11th September 2015 at the University of Cambridge and surrounding National Trust properties, will ...
• A Spirit as Rare as the Rains: Creating a Contemporary Paradigm for Cultural Identity We are all absolutely delighted that Maharaja Gaj Singh, Managing Trustee of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust in Jodhpur, will be giving a keynote address at the International Conference of National Trusts on 7 September.   It is nearly five years since my visit to Mehrangarh and I look forward to hearing how things have developed since then. I had the honour of meeting ...
• A day in the life … (25 June 2015)   I’m writing this on my way home after another extraordinary day at the INTO Secretariat.  The morning began with a meeting with INTO members Pro Patrimonio, the Romanian National Trust.  I had the pleasure of attending a recent fundraising evening they organised in London so it was a good chance to follow up, but also to introduce ...
• 800 years ago today (Monday 15 June 2015) King John sealed Magna Carta at Runnymede Today Runnymede meadows are looked after by the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but they were very nearly lost to development in the 1920s, only saved by the generosity of the Fairhavens, a wealthy Anglo-American family who recognised Runnymede’s significance and its transatlantic connections. They went on to bequeath Anglesey Abbey to ...
• 7 Reasons to come to ICNT16 in Cambridge this September INTO and the National Trust of England,Wales and Northern Ireland are co-hosting the 16th International Conference of National Trusts this year in Cambridge, UK from 7-11 September. 1. The International Conference of National Trusts is the premier learning and networking event for the global community of National Trusts. You will have the opportunity to share and learn ...
• 50 years of the Neptune protecting coastline in England, Wales and Northern Ireland On 11th May, we celebrated 50 years of the Neptune Coastline Campaign and I had the privilege of speaking to passengers aboard the mv Voyager about the Trust’s work on the coast during a wonderful cruise around the British Isles with Voyages of Discovery.  (Watch this space for another blog about the rest of the ...
• Happy Birthday! 120 years since the foundation of the first National Trust Towards the end of the nineteenth century, organisations were beginning to be formed across the world with the aim of conserving fast-disappearing natural and cultural heritage. The first National Trust was established on this day, 12 January, 1895 by Victorian philanthropists, Octavia Hill, Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley and Sir Robert Hunter. Since then the National ...
• You’ll never walk alone … Camino Day 5: Santiago The last day of the walk was a short one.  And a damp one although not as bad as Thursday.   This section took us through some beautiful countryside: Oak woods, eucalyptus forests and fields before entering the outskirts of Santiago. We stopped for refreshments (and a stamp in our Credencial del Peregrino) at another roadside cafe.  ...
• I’m singing in the rain – Camino day 4                 I’m struggling to remember what we did today as it is so coloured by the fact that it rained ALL DAY LONG ….  After an uneventful night in the Albergue de Bruma we had breakfast there with the rest of the pilgrims.   We then set off in the rain for Sigüeiro.    Our first stop was ...
• As I walked out one Midsummer morning … I can’t hope to be as poetic as Laurie Lee but today did start as a beautiful sunny day (although I soon realised that I should have saved ‘Uphill all the way’ as a title for today … ). As we climbed up out of Betanzos, the scent of honeysuckle, the heather, broom, bracken and gorse ...
• Uphill all the way … Day 2 on the Camino Inglese Today’s hike was quite different. Much hillier, wilder and less stressful. Admittedly, we are also walking less far – from Pontedeume to Betanzos is a mere 20km – but it has been a beautiful ramble. I’m writing this first half of my blog sitting at the Albergue de Mino, the halfway point, where we have ...
• Bo Camiño! What an extraordinary day! We spent last night at a wonderful old hotel in Ferrol (Hotel Suizo). After checking out (and getting an all important stamp in our ‘Pilgrim Passports’), we set off for the port in the dark …. We were met at Kilometer Zero of the Camino by Isabella, who gave us a ...
• Walking the Camino – one week to go (September 2014) I wish I could say that my training was tapering and that I was readier than I’ll ever be ….. But I did my back in moving furniture around for our Pop-up Restaurant fundraising ‘do’ last weekend so have not covered the miles I had hoped for in the final week. So, feeling a little ...
• More Camino training … On Sunday, I set out on another training walk for our trek across Northern Spain on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela.  It looked pretty gloomy as I set off but I had not foreseen the downpour that began about half an hour in.   Worst weather for months.   Still, I thought ‘this will be a ...
• Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to Bangor …? I can’t tell you how annoyed with myself I am for remembering this song (and the Barron Knights parody, which as a child I had thought was hilarious) as it’s been a continual Ohrwurm for my whole trip to Wales.  Anyway, back to Bangor or more precisely the amazing duo of Penrhyn and Plas Newydd. ...
• A Commonwealth of National Trusts? With the 2014 Commonwealth Games about to start in Glasgow, we here at INTO have been reflecting on the nature of this organisation today – and how it intersects with the National Trust movement. The modern Commonwealth is an organisation which promotes democracy across the world, standing as a force for good within the global community.   There ...
• I believe in coyotes and time as an abstract … … Explain the change, the difference between What you want and what you need, there’s the key, Your adventure for today, what do you do Between the horns of the day? So what does this great set of REM lyrics have to do with anything at all?   Well, three reasons.  I love ‘I believe‘; my blog tells you what ...

Email Catherine: cleonard@intoorg.org