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NATIONAL TRUST DAYS OUT

With long term visitor numbers on the decline, The National Trust's role has come into question recently. The debate is on as to whether their days out are fun and fascinating or stale and stuffy.

Inside Out put one of their days out in the South East to the test with the help of a modern family.

The debate

Some historians argue that The National Trust’s 'elitism' is creating theme parks for the over 50s and deterring younger families from visiting.

John Vigar, a Kent historian says, "History isn't just about large country houses and important families."

Sue Saville head of the South East region of the National Trust says they have made renewed efforts to attract younger visitors.

"What we’ve done is look at our properties and develop activities that inspire and excite younger people."

With this in mind, Inside Out put The National Trust's Standen House in Sussex to the test.

The test

The Freezer family are the sort of people that the Trust wants to attract. They are:

• Robbie, a 36-year-old builder,
• Julia, a 34-year-old housewife,
• George, 10 years old,
  
• Max, six years old.

It is definitely not the sort of day out that the Freezer family normally warm to ..

The verdict

After spending a full day at the 1890s house here are the Freezer family’s scores ..

• Fun - 2/10
• Interest - 8/10
• Trust's effort 3/10
• Value for Money 7/10
• Overall - 6/10

Here's what they thought of their National Trust day out ..

"I did feel a bit under pressure keeping Max in tow but apart from that I did really enjoy it." Julia Freezer (mum)

"I like history so it does appeal to me. I think the people were very nice but it’s still very stuffy." Robbie Freezer (dad)

"It was much better than I thought… It was as good as any theme park." George Freezer (aged 10)

This is not a bad verdict, coming from a family who admitted this was not their normal idea of fun.

But even with a hundred years of history behind it, The National Trust still has a bit of a way to go to make itself appeal to those it wishes to attract.