There’s no need to struggle for ways to entertain the family over Spring Bank Holiday week. Just look to your local National Trust property, A la Ronde, near Exmouth where there’s a wealth of activities to keep everyone entertained.
On Tuesday 28 May, young naturalists can discover some of the ’mini- beasties’ that live in the meadow at A la Ronde by joining the free mini beast safaris at 11.30am and 2.30pm. National Trust volunteer, Elaine Harrison says: "The whole experience is about introducing children to nature by using their senses... especially looking, listening and...
Back in the autumn of 2011, the quest began to uncover parts of the garden at Overbeck’s that had been closed for over 30 years. After nine months of hard work by the garden team a path 103 meters long has been re-opened. It follows the line of an old route through the woodland which leads to an area beloved by Otto Overbeck – his 50ft high natural rock garden. The area is particularly sheltered, even by Overbeck’s standards, and Head Gardener Cat Saunders has started planting palms and other sub tropical plants down there already. "As I led my team through the undergrowth I didn’t know...
The sunshine drew many families to Wembury beach over the bank holiday weekend to take part in "50 things to do before you are 11¾" with the South Devon National Trust Rangers. Families joined in a variety of activities including mini raft building, kite making, and a family orienteering challenge; as well as an evening rock pool ramble led by the Devon Wildlife Trust Marine Centre Wardens.
National Trust Internship Ranger, Hollie Ferris, commented: "The '50 Things' campaign is all about reconnecting children with nature, getting kids back outdoors and having fun. It was great...
National Trust gardeners at Greenway, the much-loved holiday home of Agatha Christie, are currently engaged in a battle to protect the stunning bluebells in the romantic woodland garden from an aggressive weed threatening their habitat.
Unwelcome and invasive, the three-cornered leek, or three-cornered garlic as it is also known, is similar in appearance to a white Bluebell, but with a distinctive smell and a narrow green stripe down the centre of each petal.
Belinda Smith, Visitor Experience Manager for the National Trust English Riviera explains: "Pretty as they are, the...
In the past year nearly 45,000 hours of volunteer time have been devoted to looking after National Trust owned property on Exmoor.
The latest figures for volunteering on just the National Trust properties inside the Exmoor National Park show that 748 volunteers contributed an astonishing 44,470 volunteer hours in the twelve month period to March 2013.
It is the first time that the volunteer data has been compiled in this way to include every NT property within the National Park boundary - Dunster Castle, West Exmoor, Exmoor Bunkhouse and the Holnicote Estate.
A la Ronde, the National Trust's quirky 18th century 16-sided house near Exmouth, needs extra volunteers to help with fundraising activities in order to support the conservation of its fragile shell-encrusted gallery. If you enjoy meeting people and have an interest in history or conservation then we would be delighted to meet you.
The role is that of Volunteer Fundraiser, selling raffle tickets to visitors to support vital conservation work. Usually based in house, the Volunteer Fundraiser can also spend time in the garden during fine weather. A la Ronde House Steward, Nicola...
National Trust has been able to carry out extensive repair work to dry stone walls around East Soar Farm near Salcombe. Funded through Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, these boundary walls are over 200 years old.
Contractor Mark Newman Stonework has been working with his team for three months, repairing and rebuilding in total over 350m of wall. Some of the work has been on some very steep cliffs where the wall has collapsed over time and has been a challenge for the team to work on, particularly in the recent weather.
From Saturday 2 March until Sunday 3 November, A la Ronde near Exmouth will be opening seven days a week and the staff and volunteers are looking for new members to join their friendly team.
Have you thought about volunteering but haven't made that first step? Why not learn new skills or share your own experiences with us?
There are many stories to tell about this unique property and the people that once lived here; but there are even more yet to discover. We are looking for additional Room Guides as well as volunteers for the Shop and Visitor Reception – plus people to...
Families visiting National Trust’s Saltram, near Plymouth, will have the chance to experience life below the stairs over the coming weeks.
On the three weekends of 16/17 and 23/24 February, and 2/3 March, between 11am and 4 pm, the domestic areas of the Palladian mansion will be brought to life by the hustle and bustle of a whole host of ‘servants’ busily packing up the Parker family’s treasures for their long journey to London.
‘The Parkers on the Move’ takes families on an exclusive look at domestic areas rarely open to the public. Meeting all the servants...
This year is the most exciting time in the history of Castle Drogo since its initial construction and promises to be a busy one once its huge five-foot-wide front door opens to visitors on 9th March.
Since receiving funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Interreg - a European grant - work has started on a five-year major building project to save this iconic place from the onslaught of an army of wind and rain.
The big news is that it is going to stay open for the entire project and more volunteers than ever are needed to make this happen. If you are interested in...
