Parliament Workbench

Petition · PE01721 · Session 5

National tourism strategy for Scotland and the role of the National Trust for Scotland

Closed Submitted 13 May 2019 Culture & Sport
Signatures
0
310 online signatures with a country
Comments
57
Considered
3 meetings
in the Official Report

What it asks

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to meet with the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) to discuss the role the NTS can play in the context of the national tourism strategy, Tourism Scotland 2020 and, within that, the future of any Trust property under threat of closure, such as Geilston Gardens near Cardross.

What the petitioner did first

As well as ongoing discussions with the NTS, the Friends of Geilston have met with local MSPs Maurice Corry and Jackie Baillie to discuss the local and national issues raised by the threatened closures of NTS properties. Questions have also been tabled by Maurice Corry MSP in the Parliament on the subject of funding for NTS properties under threat of closure.

Where it was considered

Official Report
  1. 20 Jun 2019
    Public Petitions Committee
    New Petitions
    1 mention
  2. 5 Dec 2019
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention
  3. 27 Feb 2020
    Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee
    Public Petition
    1 mention

Signatures by country

310 online signatures
  1. Scotland229 73.9%
  2. United Kingdom60 19.4%
  3. England12 3.9%
  4. Australia4 1.3%
  5. United States2 0.6%
  6. France1 0.3%
  7. Spain1 0.3%
  8. Ireland1 0.3%

Comments

57 comments, oldest first
57 comments · showing 1–50
  1. Carol Young 14 May 2019
    We need to protect these wonderful resources such as Geilston Garden. Tourism is a major asset to Scotland but tourists need something to visit or they'll go elsewhere. Celebrate our national treasures!
  2. Bob Murray 14 May 2019
    Geilston Garden is a small property but it is a real gem and of of immense value in this location, where the only other NTS property is the Hill House. I would recommend that the NTS consider the issue of a joint ticket for Geilston garden and the Hill House to encourage visitors to the area to take advantage of experiencing both sites. NTS has not covered itself with glory since it took over thgeilston Garden
    - now is the time to abandon any thought of selling it and to invest in the house as well as the garden.
  3. James Stuart CASTLE 14 May 2019
    NTS were bequeathed property and provided money to uphold its condition I perpetuity, (in Trust).
    I understand additional finances may be required so adopt the English NT system of developing Holiday lets. The USP for Geilston would be Gateway to the Highlands, (also a Waitrose nearby for supplies).
  4. Carol Hayden 14 May 2019
    Geilston Gardens are a wonderful place of colour and calm for locals and visitors of all ages. Please preserve them.
  5. David Evans 14 May 2019
    I sign this petition
  6. Janet Grant 14 May 2019
    Delighted to read of this interest in smaller, neglected, at risk properties. Great that this is so much more than targeting one property,
  7. Kati Byrne 14 May 2019
    Geilston Gardens and its amazing kitchen garden is the most consistently interesting NTS site I know, you can go again and again and find something new
  8. Valerie Fisher 14 May 2019
    I love Geilston Garden and have visited ever since it was opened by NTS, and on open days when Misses Bell and Hendrie owned it. Recently I have enjoyed painting workshops in the garden. My grandchildren enjoyed the mini beast Easter hunt recently.
  9. Mary Gray 14 May 2019
    National Trust should not be seeing it's remit as to attract tourists. They will lose their base if they forget their real purpose. Loss of Geilston and neglect of valuable properties like it and Hill House would be unforgivable. They were never meant to be commercial assets but as IN TRUST for posterity.
  10. Michael Fisher 14 May 2019
    Provision was made for the upkeep of Geilston was made in the original bequest by the owner. It is certainly immoral and unethical to close the gardens, and may be illegal. Also that action would deter many people from leaving their assets to NTS. The publicity would be very adverse for the NTS.
  11. Janet Gibb 14 May 2019
    The National Trust for Scotland should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this wonderful place to be treated so badly ! We need to keep this open for all visitors to enjoy as its benefactor intended it to be used!
    Thankyou
  12. Claire Grover 14 May 2019
    Please please please do everything to ensure Geilston Gardens stays open- it is simply the most stunning garden and should be preserved and be invested in. It is under threat and would be a catastrophic loss to Scotland.
  13. Fiona Lockhart 14 May 2019
    There is a tremendous opportunity for the NTS to work on Geilston and the Hill house as a joint ticket. Little has been done to market them together so far.
  14. Gwenneth Irving 15 May 2019
    A wonderful green space with lots of potential for development e.g. Restoration of the house to attract more tourists. Treasured by the local community. It needs to be protected for future generations
  15. Sheila McNeill 15 May 2019
    Losing any Trust property especially at Geilston with so few others within easy travel distance having regard to the carbon footprint and so well looked after deprives a local community of a very welcome and valuable asset for own education and enjoyment and also as a tourist attraction.
  16. Christopher Packard 15 May 2019
    I support the petition
  17. Jean Murdoch 15 May 2019
    I visited Geilston Gardens with three friends today. We all loved walking in the beautiful grounds. It would be even more enjoyable if the house were open to the public. I am anxious that the National Trust continue to maintain this property enjoyed by visitors from near and far. It would be a great loss to the local area and to visitors from other parts of the country and abroad. It gives so much pleasure to young and old. Family members have learnt so much from their visits to Geilston as well as having fun playing in the grounds!
  18. Jean Alison Coates 16 May 2019
    Totally wrong that the future of this lovely garden is under threat when money was left for its future by the owners.
  19. Sue Forsyth 16 May 2019
    I would like the N T to continue to support Geilston Garden
  20. Mary Robins 16 May 2019
    The gift of Geilston gardens to NTS was endowed with three million pounds to support house and gardens. This money has been appropriated by NTS into their general funds due to a technicality. This is morally wrong and should be reversed.
  21. Thomas Morrison 16 May 2019
    This is a beautiful garden and should be supported by everyone.
  22. Elsa Burgess 16 May 2019
    These gardens are a treasure to the area.
  23. Christine Hands 16 May 2019
    A fantastic local garden
  24. Carol Moore 16 May 2019
    Save Geilston
  25. Elizabeth Lambert 17 May 2019
    Geilston is a much loved garden by the local community. It also attracts many visits by tourists staying in the loch lomond area or travelling around Scotland. There are numerous ways that National Trust can increase profits from visitors to Geilston rather than closing and losing this and other National Trust tourist attractions vital to the Scottish tourism strategy.
  26. Lisa Chapman 17 May 2019
    There are so few places in the area that are sufficiently accessible for young children to run around and explore, while looking and learning about plants and wildlife. Geilston was a weekly treat for members of my family when we lived in the area. It provided a space with sufficient size and variety to return to throughout the season
    - to watch the vegetables growing, the apples ripening in the orchard. I also watched my family members roll down the bank in the walled garden many times with friends laughing. It would be such a shame that other little people miss out on that pleasure!
  27. Brendan Traynor 17 May 2019
    Geilston is a great asset to the area and should be kept open.
  28. Fran scott 17 May 2019
    This tranquil gem of a garden deserves to be kept open, as the lady who donated it to the Trust, along with a large endowment, expected to happen.
  29. Gerard Cairns 18 May 2019
    The National Trust should be using the money left to them by the owner to invest in this garden and to retain it for the future
  30. chris moore 18 May 2019
    This is a beautiful garden and estate and we need a variety of places like this. The Trust has a moral obligation to work with the local community to keep the garden open
  31. alana ingram 18 May 2019
    I have several concerns about the threatened closure of this Geilston Gardens not least of which is the breach of trust towards the benefactor Miss E Hendry who in addition to the property bequeathed a significant sum of money which whilst not legally tied to the property, due to Miss Hendry's untimely death, was nevertheless retained in a separate fund to support the Gardens for many years. Around 2017 this fund was quietly subsumed into the NTS general funds and moves then made by the NTS to close the property due to an unsupportable operating deficit.

    In relation to tourism, Geilston Gardens is one of the few NTS in the west of Scotland and has the potential to demonstrate the social development of the area with links from farming, military involvement, trade and shipbuilding. It also forms the first link in the chain of Glorious Gardens of Argyll and Bute promoted by Visit Scotland and is indeed one of the most accessible by public transport and has good disabled accessibility.
  32. Michael Fisher 19 May 2019
    I understood that provision had been made for upkeep of the estate. If NTS do try to dispose of the property there is a strong legal case for these monies to be released. NTS simply pocketing them would surely be amoral and possibly illegal.
  33. Jeremy Watson 22 May 2019
    I am a NTS member and regular visitor to Geilston Gardens
  34. walter snedden 22 May 2019
    happy to support this petition to keep these gardens and the history surrounding them
  35. Sue Thornley 24 May 2019
    Geilston Gardens is an important member of the Glorious Gardens of Argyll and Bute, a marketing group working to promote West coast gardens for over 20 years
    - it would be a shame to lose these gardens.
  36. Susanne Hall 26 May 2019
    I am an NTS member and regular visitor to Geilston Gardens. I love this property. The gardens are a delightful haven of tranquillity.
  37. Sam Gibson 27 May 2019
    NTS member and occasional visitor to Geilston. Feel that roadside direction boards would help to warn intending visitors of exact entry point. It's a busy road with fast traffic and you can be too late to turn in. Might improve 'footfall' numbers.
  38. Hamish McKenzie 30 May 2019
    I agree with the idea of keeping open smaller and vernacular properties and gardens
  39. Seonaid Baker 30 May 2019
    A stunning garden, especially during the spring and early summer. A joy to walk round the woodland too. An oasis of calm. Shameful if it were lost.
  40. alana ingram 31 May 2019
    Geilston is the first link in the chain of Glorious Gardens of Argyll and Bute promoted by Visit Scotland. It is possibly one of the most accessible by public transport and has good access for those with mobility problems.
    The NTS has few properties in the west of Scotland and these shoulf be preserved and promoted
  41. Olivia Birch 3 Jun 2019
    Gemstone gardens is a little gem and attracts many tourists and with The Hill House is the only NT S attraction in the area.
  42. Flora Leckie 4 Jun 2019
    There are few gardens of such quality, peace, and beauty in this area and it would be such a loss if it were to close. I agree that signage should be improved from the main road.
  43. Wilma McMillan 4 Jun 2019
    Beautiful gardens in a wonderful setting. What a lovely tranquil resource. NHS need to remove threat of closure.
  44. Jennifer Fitzgerald 5 Jun 2019
    My family regularly visit Argyll and Bute with to visit family. We often arrange to meet friends and family at the garden as it is a great community space for children to run around in. The vegetable garden is most amazing and I love looking and buying the fruit and vegetables that will not grow in Australia because we do not have enough rain. It is a real asset to the community.
  45. Janet Smith 5 Jun 2019
    Geilston Gardens are a real gem, a quiet tranquil space which all can enjoy.
  46. Elizabeth Graham 5 Jun 2019
    Have considered cancelling our NTS membership.
  47. Caroline Annesley 5 Jun 2019
    The Gardens at Geilston need to be retained to comply with the wishes of the Donor and needs of the area, and very distinct asset for the NTS.
  48. Lilly Fitzgerald 6 Jun 2019
    It is my intention to travel and view this beautiful place. I benefit, therefore, in all sorts of ways. If that opportunity is not available, then I lose but so does Scotland because you won't get the economic benefit of tourism and neither will Scotland benefit in terms of perception of attracting future tourists. Short-sighted view by the government having long-term consequences on Scotland, locally and globally!
  49. Rhona Dick 6 Jun 2019
    Geilston Gardens are a beautiful example of mature gardens and one of the few such properties that can be accessed by public transport making it a valuable resource in the west of Scotland.
  50. dianne gopee 6 Jun 2019
    The NTS could learn from NT England. Far more organised, know how to attract visitors and are much more inclusive