Members' Centres and
Friends' Groups
LONDON MEMBERS' CENTRE
( Charity Number SC 027207 )
The London Members' Centre was established in 1979 with the aim of promoting the NTS to people in the London area and making membership of the NTS more enjoyable by arranging visits to places of interest and holding meetings and talks. In addition, the Centre raises funds to help support the National Trust for Scotland.
To run the LMC we have a main Committee (the members are also the Trustees) and a separate Visits Committee. We generally arrange two visits each month, Spring and late Autumn lectures and also a Spring Tour. This tour has been to Northern Ireland, Normandy, Dumfries & Galloway, Shropshire and Shetland in recent years. A short report on our June 2018 visit to Shetland can be seen by following this link.
Our London based visits include Art Galleries and museums - where we usually arrange a private talk, and other places of interest not always open to the general public. Every quarter we hold a conducted walk somewhere in London - led by a Blue Badge Guide.
We also hold two lectures each year. These take place at the Crown Court Church of Scotland in Covent Garden. The lectures are preceded by a buffet lunch which is a great occasion to meet and talk to other members; usually, the lecture has a Scottish theme.
Membership is open to all National Trust for Scotland and National Trust members, not just those in London and the South East, and currently costs just £12 per annum ( reduced to £10 per annum if paid by standing order ).
The Centre has over 350 members who enjoy a very full programme of social events, lectures and visits, some to places not normally open to the public. There is a charge for each visit, part of our fund-raising activities for the National Trust for Scotland, as a result of which we have been able to provide support for projects at many NTS properties throughout Scotland.
The Centre now has a ( new website ), which is still under development, and we will use this to keep members up-to-date with developments. Our regular quarterly mailings have not been possible due to Covid-19 restrictions but a link to digital versions is available on our website to keep members informed. Please visit the site regularly.
Proposed Programme February to May 2023
- Tuesday 28 February 2023, 1.30pm.
- Florence Nightingale Guided Walk with Debbie Pearson, London Tour Guide, to celebrate the 200th anniversary in 2020 of Florence Nightingale's birth.
Tickets are £18 for members or £20 for non-members. - Wednesday 15 March 2023, 2pm.
- Afternoon visit to Benjamin Franklin House to learn about the founding father of the United States and a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.
Tickets are £30 for members or £33 for non-members. - Wednesday 26 April 2023, 11.30am.
- All day visit to the Royal Gunpowder Mills, a designated Scheduled Monument and set in 170 acres of natural woodlands. Its numerous structures tell the extraordinary story of explosives and propellants over 300 years from Charles 11 to rocketry during the Cold War era.
The visit will last 4 hours and is split into two parts. Part one takes in the exhibitions, armoury, film, and rocket vault. Part two is a guided tractor tour off the beaten track to visit some listed buildings and to see an abundance of wildlife.
Tea, coffee and biscuits, as well as a light finger buffet lunch will be provided.
Tickets are £29 for members or £32 for non-members. - Thursday 4 May 2023, 12pm-3.30pm.
- AGM, buffet lunch and by a talk from Oliver Yates, Head of the International Marine Programme for the RSPB, "The Albatross Task Force".
Admission to the AGM is free and no ticket is required. Tickets for the buffet lunch and talk are £21 for members, or £25 for non-members.
For more details on any of the above events or for any further information on LMC activities, please contact Charles Hope, Chairperson
E-mail - chairman@nts-lmc.scot.
Or visit our website www.nts-lmc.scot.
The National Trust for Scotland - London Members' Centre is a registered Scottish charity number SC027207.