On August 9 and 10, 2024, National Trust members joined with Extinction Rebellion Wimborne to protest at Kingston Lacy near Wimborne with placards and leaflets. They spoke to hundreds of visitors, urging them to call on the National Trust to stop banking with Barclays, the biggest funder of fossil fuels in Europe.
They carried placards saying ‘Love National Trust, Not Barclays’, and invited visitors to Kingston Lacy to sign a petition calling on the charity to switch to a bank which does not fund fossil fuels.
Kingston Lacy is famous for its beautiful grounds and extensive art collection. It is one of hundreds of sites owned by the National Trust, the much-loved guardian of nature reserves, national parks, coastline, historic buildings and estates across the country.
Retired ship’s captain, Peter Aldous took part. He said:
“The National Trust have known about their members’ ethical concerns for years and they’re not doing anything about them,” he said.
The outreach action at Kingston Lacy is one of many colourful actions by campaigners across the country designed to urge the National Trust to ditch Barclays, which has poured $235.2 bn into fossil fuels in the last seven years.
James Bullock, professor of ecology, took part in the outreach action:
“I love the National Trust and all the amazing work it does to restore and protect nature. Knowing that I’m indirectly supporting Barclays really spoils my trips to National Trust sites for me. The National Trust must cut its ties with Barclays, the most planet destroying bank in Europe.”
Photos copyright XR BCP
August 3, 2024, Extinction Rebellion groups from BCP and Purbeck held a protest picnic at Corfe Castle, calling on The National Trust to stop banking with Barclays.
The group laid out a summer spread with picnic items bearing the message ‘I ♥️ National Trust Not Barclays’ in front of the thousand-year-old battlements. They were there to urge the charity to drop Barclays, which is Europe’s biggest funder of fossil fuels. The campaigners engaged with families, handing out leaflets and collecting signatures for a petition calling on the charity to switch to a bank which does not fund fossil fuels.
Corfe Castle, one of Britain’s most iconic and evocative survivors of the English Civil War, is one of hundreds of sites owned by the National Trust, which is the guardian of nature reserves, national parks, coastline, historic buildings and estates across the country.
Liz Brereton, a counsellor from Bournemouth, who took part in the action today said: “I have been donating to the National Trust for years.
“But I never realised in all this time that my money was going directly to Barclays Bank, a bank that funds fossil fuels and arms and so many other things that I am completely opposed to. I don’t want my money to support such a horrific business and I wish the National Trust would make much more of an effort to cut ties with Barclays.
“They have known of their members’ ethical concerns for years now and they just don’t seem to be doing all that much about it.”
The protest picnic is part of a week of colourful actions by campaigners across the country to urge the National Trust to ditch Barclays, which has poured $235.2 billion into fossil fuels in the last seven years.
Groups taking part in the campaign include Tipping Point, Christian Climate Action, Parents for Future, Money Rebellion, Extinction Rebellion and others.
Despite publishing a new energy policy at the start of this year that it hailed as a step towards a “science-based” approach towards “financing the transition”, Barclays continues to finance infamous fossil fuel companies such as Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell. In 2023 alone, Barclays provided $24.221 bn of financing to fossil fuel companies.
Their new energy policy was criticised widely for loopholes that allow them to continue supporting carbon-intensive industries such as fracking. Meanwhile, investigative journalists have discovered that Barclays’ “sustainable finance” funds pipelines and oil expansion projects.
Recently, other institutions have announced their intentions to stop banking with Barclays for ethical reasons. Christian Aid and Oxfam have removed their funds from Barclays already. Cambridge University is withdrawing its support for Barclays and is leading a group of universities and colleges that are investigating more sustainable financial products. Despite its commitment to natural conservation, the National Trust is therefore lagging behind other charities and thought leaders within its sector.
Daniel Glennon, a customer service trainer from Bournemouth, who also took part in the protest said:
“For me, the National Trust stands for beautiful scenery and lush landscapes. I visit National Trust sites very regularly, they are such a great way of getting out of the town, relaxing and enjoying nature. So I’m very disappointed that an organisation like the National Trust doesn’t prioritise the value of nature in their banking choice. Barclays destroys nature with its horrific lending and investments in unethical industries. Knowing that I’m indirectly supporting Barclays really spoils my trips to National Trust sites for me.”
In 2023, Barclays provided $24.2bn of financing to fossil fuel companies. Since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016, their financing has accumulated to $235.2bn
