Restore Trust

Restore Trust is a British political advocacy group which seeks to change policies of the National Trust.^[1][2] The group has aimed to bring resolutions to the National Trust annual general meeting (AGM) in an effort to restore the Trust to what it sees as "its core purpose",^[1] and has criticised the National Trust's work on rewilding and social inclusion which Restore Trust's organisers consider to be "woke".^[3] They have encouraged their supporters to join the Trust's membership.^[1]

Restore Trust

Named after	National Trust
Type	Advocacy group
Purpose	Campaigning against changes to visitor experiences at National Trust properties
Region served	England and Wales
Website	www.restoretrust.org.uk

The group's directors include Zewditu Gebreyohanes, appointed by Boris Johnson as a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum,^[4] and Neil Record, the chairman of the Institute of Economic Affairs.^[5] Gebreyohanes stepped down from her position as director in November 2023 shortly after no Restore Trust candidates were elected or resolutions passed at the Trust's 2023 AGM; the group's candidates and resolutions had also been rejected at the previous AGM.^[6][7]

Campaigns

Restore Trust focuses on a number of specific issues, among them:^[8][9]

• The presentation of historic buildings, collections, gardens and countryside to the public;
• Opposing the introduction of what it terms "ephemeral trends", "political activism" and "wokeness" to visitor experiences (in particular the presentation of colonialism and slavery);
• The leadership of the National Trust;
• Proposed closures of historic properties and conversion to holiday lets;
• Sidelining of historical specialists;
• The Trust's opposition to fracking;^[10]
• Issues relating to specific properties, such as the restoration of Clandon Park House

AGM resolutions

In 2022, Restore Trust attempted to get two members' resolutions passed at the National Trust annual general meeting (AGM). Firstly, to abolish the chairman's discretionary proxy vote, and secondly to create an independent office of ombudsman 'to ensure the national trust remains accountable to its supporters'.^[1] Restore Trust also encouraged its supporters to vote for candidates from its proposed list which included historian Jeremy Black, conservative historian and activist Zareer Masani, and Stephen Green of the Christian Voice advocacy group.^[3] In response to the campaign, the National Trust's director of communications, Celia Richardson, said that she found the idea of "paid-for canvassing for places on our council" to be a "new and concerning" development.^[5]

Restore Trust did not get enough votes at the National Trust's AGM in November 2022 to have its candidates elected, nor to pass its resolution's on the National Trust's governance.^[11]

Restore Trust director Zewditu Gebreyohanes blamed this result on the AGM's optional "Quick Vote" system, which allowed voters to cast a single vote agreeing with all preferences of the trustees, rather than voting on each issue separately.^[11] Gebreyohanes felt that the option had been introduced "surreptitiously"^[11] and claimed that the Quick Vote results had not been made public, a decision that she felt was "suspicious". The National Trust issued a statement saying that the Quick Vote option was introduced at the advice of an independent election services provider and was considered to be "best practice", used by many other member organisations, and had been explained in voting instructions sent to members in the summer.^[5]

Gebreyohanes resigned as Restore Trust director in November 2023 shortly after no Restore Trust candidates were elected or resolutions passed at the Trust's 2023 AGM either.^[6][7]

Criticisms

Restore Trust has attracted critical commentary in the news media; critics such as the Good Law Project have alleged that Restore Trust is engaged in astroturfing due to hidden connections with political lobbying groups.^[5]