ENVIRONMENTAL action groups, including Christian Climate Action (CCA), held peaceful protests at a number of National Trust properties this week, urging the organisation to stop banking with Barclays.

Last year, Christian Aid stopped banking with Barclays after a campaign by climate activists (News, 28 July 2023), and other charities and organisations have also switched banks, including Sheffield Cathedral, Greenbelt, and Oxfam (News, 2 February).

A statement from CCA this week said that Barclays provided more than £17.5 billion to fossil fuel companies last year: a ten per cent increase on the year before. Since 2016, Barclays has put £182 billion into fossil fuel companies, the charity said,

Supporters have engaged in peaceful demonstrations at National Trust properties across the country. A guide for protesters on the CCA website says: “The vibe of the actions is that they will be peaceful, fun, family-friendly and creative. We want to get across that we love the National Trust, but that their banking choice is damaging to our world and everything we hold dear.”

A retired priest, the Revd Sue Parfitt, took part in an action at Runnymede, where the Magna Carta was signed. “The signing of the Magna Carta was a significant step forward for justice in our country. We are urging the National Trust to put justice at the centre of its banking arrangements and choose an ethical bank,” she said.

Other demonstrations took place at St Michael’s Mount, in Cornwall; Blaise Hamlet, in Somerset; and Fenton House, in Hampstead. A group of CCA supporters unfurled a banner at Culross, a National Trust for Scotland property.

A petition calling on the National Trust to drop Barclays had attracted 1500 signatures on Wednesday.