Mags I Love - Scotland in Trust

This membership magazine wins my award for Best Realization of a Purpose; the Purpose to promote an organization which I wish we had here in Canada ...

As a general rule, I feel that we should put our money into our own economy whenever possible and holiday travel is a perfect, economically powerful opportunity. It is during a holiday that we’re more likely to dine at restaurants, purchase locally made items, pay for accommodation and taxis or buses and, of course, pay to get there.


I make exception for, and have come to understand the need for, journeying home.
As much as I would like to see Portugal or Hungary, the Galapagos Islands or Australia, I’ve never felt such a “pull” as I felt for Scotland, Robin’s birthplace and that of my paternal grandmother’s family. It was during my research and preparation for our first Scottish trip that I discovered The National Trust for Scotland.


A branch of UK’s National Trust, the NTS was established 1931 as “the guardian of the nation’s heritage of architecture, scenic and historic treasures by conservation and management of properties”. They have a high profile patron, HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, and a roster of 128 properties with 76,000 hectares of property. There are 500 employees, 297,000 members, 2,500 volunteers, and 1.7 million recorded visitors.

We have similar organizations here in Canada;
The federal Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (created in 1919) designating National Historic Significance which can include people, events or things;
The Nature Conservancy which works to protect Canada’s fragile environments (1962);
Greenpeace, protecting the world’s land and animals, enforcing existing laws and lobbying for change (1971);
UNESCOs World Heritage Sites status which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization adopted 1972; and
Heritage Canada created in 1973 to “preserve the nationally significant historic, architectural, natural and scenic heritage of Canada”

The big difference between the National Trust of Scotland and all of our organizations is the Trusts one further vision; to promote. They don’t work privately, conserving for a select few – they spread the word.
And the major distinction between their magazine, Scotland in Trust, and a magazine such as Our Canada, is that the SIT publication is designed to be used as a travel guide, thereby achieving the Trusts goal of ambassadorally encouraging folks within Scotland and around the globe to celebrate they very things with which they are entrusted.


And so, early in 2003, we did what 297,000 others do every year; we bought a membership to the National Trust of Scotland and received our first copy of Scotland in Trust magazine, along with our membership cards.



Glossy and square bound, the magazine is published three times a year and is equal measure of news, history, tour guide and catalogue. The NTS markets its properties vigorously through this magazine, encouraging you to witness their hard work first hand. You can even rent a protected property for a holiday or take a tour of private homes and gardens. Along with an annual guide which is divided into types of properties (great outdoors, historic gardens, famous folks) or by region, each issue of the magazine addresses all branches of the organization, from buildings at risk (and how you can get involved) to endangered animals (and how you can get involved). They showcase house-brand NTS products which they offer at their gift shops across the country or through mail order, and profile their volunteers.

It is a smart, comprehensive presentation with well-written features and beautiful photos, but their goal is to make it very easy to buy into Scotland, investing in the history and, therefore, the future.

When we were in Scotland, the NTS symbol was our beacon, our go-to sign. We were ensured that, beyond it, there would be something we’d not want to miss, and it often included an information centre.

Our Property Guide, dog-eared and flagged with post-its, came with us from Castle to Garden, from croft to statuary and our membership card was like a Cub Scout nationalism badge, offering free entry to NTS properties and other such perks.

The broader benefit of course is the undeniable big-picture side-effect of supporting important conservation work; by protecting a heritage garden you’re also banning chemicals and GMOs, and by conserving a heritage croft you’re also preventing further suburban sprawl or more electricity pylons scaring pristine landscape.
And the Scotland in Trust magazine reports on it all, from an update on a Bronze Age roundhouse dig on Arron and holiday lets on the Isle of Skye, to this seasons release of new books and heritage daffodils for purchase.

An annual family membership of 65UK gives us a sense of honouring our own heritage while ensuring preservation. It’s a price I’d gladly pay to honour my new residence, the land my family has called home for several generations, if Canada ever decides to wise up and follow suit.