If you recall the Titanic posts then there's an interesting development. I've been contacted by a nice lady from the National Trust asking me to call them back and confirm my membership details, so once they have that all correct they can get back in touch with me.

It was the customer service message about "valuing feedback" and thanking me "for raising your concerns with us" so I'll see what reply I get in full now that I've called and ensured my details are all up to date. I'm not sure why a difference in the name on my letter and the name on my account should effect their replying to me. I keep envisioning some massive Bertha like machine breaking down when my letter is fed into it, because it doesn't compute...

Their response so far has not been swift, but hopefully that's a sign of making sure the issue is dealt with correctly rather than playing pass the buck. I have a strong fondness for NT, and would hate an indifference to customer concerns to spoil it in any way.

So, you may have seen the post about the National Trust's Titanic events at Springhill, and their strange choice of descriptive words and activities. Something about this struck such a chord that I needed to know more.  So I contacted them for more details, recieved them, and ended up writing a letter asking the National Trust  to clarify some of their choices.

Well, the National Trust magazine is something that I usually gaze at in wonderment, being obviously 20 years younger than their intended readers. It’s like an insight into my latter years, ooh, comfy shoes, that woman from that thing telling me to get insured by a specialist company, expensive teddies... This though made me laugh, and then stop in horror.

Whom, one has to wonder, when arranging to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking, decided that ‘let’s pretend’ for younger visitors was a good idea? Either it’ll be stunningly trivial (learn to Charleston!) or traumatic “What do you mean you can’t swim? You’re dressed as a poor person so let’s pretend that they wouldn’t let you in a life boat. That means you have to jump in the pond now”.

Also, “tragic maiden voyage” and “ill fated liner” to “enjoy afternoon tea” and “costumes and games” in one paragraph. Erm, well done, I’m quite flummoxed by that leap of copy writing.