YOU have reported on an undetailed financial loss situation threatening the future of Geilston House and Garden, Cardross, Dunbartonshire belonging to and in the care of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) (“Charm not enough to Save Geilston House as trust counts its cost”, The Herald, July 10).

This is not the first time that the futures of various NTS properties have been in question. It appears that this may be a problem more at a national level than just local. Such may indicate a serious malaise within the senior management at the NTS’s surprisingly large headquarters building in Edinburgh.

Geilston House and Garden at Cardross was effectively left to the NTS 28 years ago by the late Miss EC Hendry. She also left the NTS an additional sum of more than £800,000. Invested with income accumulating, this should by now be standing at some £3.1 million or have provided a disposable income each year since 1989 of around £40,000. It is only the sterling efforts over the years by the gardening staff and volunteers that have saved the reputation of Geilston as a very fine garden. The house itself is gaunt and neglected and no real attempt has ever been made by the NTS to try to establish appropriate further income streams within its walls. While possibly not under a legal duty of care to this particular property the NTS has certainly been under a most strong moral obligation.

It is suspected that this is a situation which, at differing levels of advancement, may also be prevalent at other NTS properties.

Many of the present NTS senior management team apparently have been in post for no more than two years. Even as such they appear to be constantly involved in “re-structuring” together with senior managers adopting bizarre job titles such as “Director of Customer & Cause”. This seems closely reminiscent of a recent comedy series on BBC television entitled W1A. It was a satirical spoof based on the BBC itself in which managers with wacky titles spent their working lives attending never-ending meetings. At such gatherings a lot of ridiculous waffle was spoken but no real decisions ever taken.

Perhaps the NTS’s chief executive at EH11 should be given an additional role: “Head of Austerity”. Success in such may determine his own and the NTS’s future.

David B Price,

5 Cedarwood Court, Cardross, Dunbartonshire.

WHY are we still debating whether spearing industrial hardware into our iconic landscapes deters visitors? Environmentalists have warned for years that the vital tourism industry in Scotland was severely threatened by excessive deployment of onshore wind. I know of at least two prestigious businesses local to me which did their own surveys among guests when a German multinational threatened a huge 25-turbine development in beautiful Strathglass, near Glen Affric. The resounding majority said the potential turbines would affect their willingness to return. Many more than on this survey by the John Muir Trust.

Some say that they don’t mind turbines as much as the huge latticed pylons with thick glistening transmission lines strung across the skyline. This shows the extent of the misunderstanding of wind energy many of the public have. Environment-shattering pylon lines like the horrendous Beauly to Denny are there because of wind turbines as confirmed by former Energy MInister, Fergus Ewing, in a meeting with anti-wind campaigners. The alien Beauly substation is so vast it is only visible in its entirety from the air and continues to emit the pulsing “Beauly Buzz’” that has disturbed the peace and sleep of residents and visitors to nearby B&Bs.

Four years ago Alex Salmond was handed a petition by the widow of broadcaster and naturalist Tom Weir signed by thousands of people from around the world begging him to stop the reckless siting of wind farms in Scotland. He smiled for the photo and accepted the file of pleas from potential visitors to protect our precious and irreplaceable landscapes at Bute House after refusing to meet anti-wind campaigners at the SNP conference in Inverness. He did nothing to alter his policy or course. He ignored his own people’s concerns and that of those who would spend their money here. The current SNP administration is following in his footsteps and are deaf to all but the wind industry as they lobby ferociously on their behalf at Westminster.

With hundreds of turbines still threatening our country, including more than 500 around Loch Ness and despite the increasing millions we pay to turn them off because of no demand, these true monsters of Scotland are not viewed with affection like Nessie and could well be responsible for the death of a tourist industry that has sustained rural communities for generations.

Lyndsey Ward,

Darach Brae, Beauly, Inverness-shire.