LIBDEM BACKS FIGHT TO SAVE INVERESK GARDEN - EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING THE NEXT STAGE

8.14.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 17th Apr 2009

Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, has given his support to the fight to save Inveresk Garden in Musselburgh and has written to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) urging the management team to halt their closure plans.

The NTS's plan to close the garden was announced as part of a series of similar cost cutting exercises and has met with fierce local opposition. Moves are afoot to convene an extraordinary general meeting at which the NTS Council will be challenged on the future of Inveresk.

Jim Hume MSP said:

"As with many other organisations during these challenging times, the Trust will undoubtedly have difficult decisions to make, but I do not believe that closing the garden and similar properties is the answer. Sites like Inveresk are the backbone of what the NTS is all about and it would seem madness to shut them down.

"People locally have a huge amount of fondness for the garden and the feeling on the ground is that its closure would be a disservice not only to East Lothian, but also to the time and effort invested in its upkeep by volunteers.

"If the closures go ahead, the Trust will risk alienating the many volunteers and members whose support is greatly needed and in my view, closure is a knee jerk reaction to the current financial difficulties we face which does not look to the long term.

"I've laid my support for the retention of the garden firmly at the NTS's door and I seriously hope that the management team look to other avenues of cost cutting. Meanwhile, the campaign is now moving towards convening an extraordinary general meeting at which members will challenge the NTS Council over its Inveresk closure plan."

Village resident and Inveresk garden volunteer, Jenny Mollison, described the closure plan as a "bolt from the blue" and said she and others had been left aghast by the proposal. She said:

"I think that the NTS senior management may have underestimated the negative impact on membership and opposition to the closure of the properties concerned."

ENDS