Supporter groups in London

Visitors walking in the garden at Fenton House and Garden, London — Visitors walking in the garden at Fenton House | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Interested in making the most of your National Trust membership? Why not join a local supporter group in London? It is a great way to meet people and enjoy special talks, visits, holidays, volunteering and social and fundraising events. Read on to find a group in the London area or click on a supporter group’s name in the menu to jump to its details.

Why join a supporter group?

Getting together with other National Trust enthusiasts, members and volunteers who feel passionate about the same things is priceless. Sharing unique experiences and finding out more about the places you care about is what being part of a local National Trust supporter group is all about.

From listening to expert talks and going on behind-the-scenes tours to taking relaxing holidays or restoring natural habitats in the great outdoors, you’ll be part of something amazing. Supporter groups promote and assist the National Trust’s work within their local area and raise money for conservation and development projects through all kinds of events.

Barnet Association

Formed in 1979, the Barnet Association welcomes everyone who is interested supporting the National Trust and would like to meet like-minded people based in Barnet and the surrounding area. Membership of the National Trust is not required to join our Association.

There is a monthly lecture programme, an annual quiz, days out, an annual five-day holiday, monthly lunches, and coffee mornings. Members receive three newsletters a year, by email or post.

Lectures are held on the third Tuesday of each month from January to November (no August meeting) and the second Tuesday in December, at 7.15 for 7.30pm in St Mary Magdalen Church Hall, in Athenaeum Road, Whetstone N20 9AR. The hall is 10 minutes’ walk from Whetstone Underground Station on the Northern Line, is well served by local bus routes and has free parking.

For a programme of forthcoming events and more information on the Barnet Association, visit the Association’s website bnta.chessck.co.uk

Beckenham and Bromley Centre

The Beckenham and Bromley Centre was formed in 1975 to enable members of the National Trust to fully enjoy their membership through lectures, visits, holidays, and social events.

Membership of the centre is open to everyone, and there is no requirement to be a National Trust member or volunteer.

Dacorum Association

The Dacorum National Trust Association was formed in 1989 to promote the National Trust’s objectives in this part of south-west Hertfordshire. Most of the Dacorum Association's members live in or close to the towns of Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead and Tring.

Members can enjoy spending time with people who have similar interests and join trips both to historic houses and gardens in England.

Their meetings are held at either Berkhamsted Civic Centre, Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church Hall or Potten End Village Hall. Members are welcome to bring guests to any of the meetings.

They use coach transport for their visits to National Trust and other sites of interest. The trip destinations and prices are announced in the newsletter and members have priority for booking coach seats. Guests may be accommodated if a trip is not fully booked by members.

The newsletter is published quarterly, with activity reports, articles of general interest, details of forthcoming trips, meetings and pub lunches.

Dates for your diary: 2023

Date	Type	Event and location	Time
Tues 24 Sept	Talk	Portugal and Spain Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church	2.00 pm
Thurs 10 Oct	Outing	Wakehurst Place
Weds 23 Oct	Talk	The Changing Wildlife in the Chilterns Potten End Village Hall	2.00 pm
Tues 19 Nov	Talk	Bagels and Bacon, Second Helping Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church	2.00 pm
Weds 4 Dec	Talk	Christmas in the Trenches Potten End Village Hall	2.00 pm
Fri 13 Dec	Outing	Outing Christmas Lunch at Redbourn Golf Club	12.30 pm

Meetings are held at the locations indicated. There is an admission charge of £4.00 for members and £4.50 for non-members to help with the costs of speakers and refreshments.

Potten End Village Hall: In Common Gardens by the Village Green.
Berkhamsted Civic Centre: The entrance is in the High Street opposite the Old Town Hall.
H.H. Methodist Church Hall: 270 Northridge Way, Hemel Hempstead, HP12AU.

The east front of the house at Osterley Park and House, London — The east front of the house at Osterley Park and House | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

Edgware and District Centre

Founded in 1979 the Edgware and District Centre has members from Edgware, Stanmore, Mill Hill, and the surrounding areas.

The group organises a variety of activities that include:

Afternoon and evening lectures, currently 15 Lectures throughout the year

Coach trips to Trust properties and other homes and gardens

Make your Own Way trips to places of interest in central London

Christmas outings

Quiz evenings.

Friends of Box Hill

With members drawn from a wide area of London and Surrey, the Friends of Box Hill was founded in 1964 and is an independent association affiliated with the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Friends of Osterley Park

The Friends of Osterley Park was formed in 1991, and since then has donated over £150,000 for various projects. This includes the purchase and the maintenance of the Courtesy Bus that shuttles visitors between the car park and house; purchase of self-drive battery vehicles, materials for the volunteer gardeners and materials for the historical costumes worn by volunteers in the House. In addition, many of the group’s members support Osterley through volunteering.

Friends of Red House

The Friends of Red House was established in 1998 to help Ted and Doris Hollamby, who had lived there since 1952, keep the house open to the public.

When the National Trust acquired the property in 2003, the group was asked to continue their work there, particularly in providing tour guides, staff for the shop and tea-room, and gardeners.

The group offers practical help and support towards the maintenance, restoration and conservation of Red House and its garden. It has funded several items of garden equipment, contributed towards the cost of replacing the main gates, and in 2015 made a major contribution towards the Philip Webb centenary exhibition.

London and West Middlesex NTV Group

Completing around 4,000 to 5,000 hours of volunteering in a typical year, the London and West Middlesex NTV Group is home to members from a wide range of backgrounds and age groups.

Founded in 1977, members are mostly from London and the South East and within the group there are volunteering parties that vary in size from eight to 15 people.

Want to learn how to lay a hedge or use a bow saw? These are some of the skills members can safely learn during outdoor conservation volunteering with National Trust rangers.

Most of the tasks take place at weekends where members can arrive Friday evening and leave on Sunday afternoon, and stay in National Trust bunkhouses. The group is mainly based in the South East, but also visits properties all over England and Wales. There is an opportunity to do day tasks, which are free to attend.

There is a fee of £10 for a weekend, which includes accommodation, two cooked breakfasts, two packed lunches, tea break snacks and a substantial Saturday night meal. The group can cater for special diets if told in advance. The weekends provide a chance to make new friends, and anyone over the age of 18 can join.

Richmond Association

The Richmond Association was founded in 1977 and has members in and around the Greater London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, spanning both banks of the river.

Richmond Association welcomes new members, and hopes that you would wish to support our fund raising efforts in support of the Trust’s projects.
The annual membership rate for the association is: Individual £12; Family £12 for the first member and £6 for each additional family member; retired pensioners £10 per person for those retired and aged 60 or over. When joining in January, membership runs until March of the following year.

Newsletters are published three times a year with our proposed program of
events including details and costs

Upcoming events

Date	Type of event	Subject
Saturday 7 December 2024	Coach visit/Christmas lunch	To Sissinghurst Castle and Garden, Biddenden Road, Cranbrook TN17 2AB.
Wednesday 22 January 2025	Winter Lecture	Lecture on William Morris and the workers at Merton Abbey by Dave Saxby (Senior Archeologist, Museum of London). 1.45 to 2pm start at Dukes Street Church Hall, Dukes Street, Richmond TW9 1DH.
Friday 31 January 2025	Visit	To 1901 Arts Club with piano recital at 7 Exton Street, London SE1 8UE. At 2pm.
Tuesday 11 February 2025	Visit	To Two Temple Place, London WC2R 3BD. At 2pm.
Monday 10 March 2025	Visit	To Boston Manor House, Boston Manor Road, Brentford TW8 9JX. At 2pm.

The Cherry Garden at Ham House and Garden, London — The Cherry Garden at Ham House and Garden | © National Trust Images/Chris Davies

The London Centre

Founded in 1951, we have members from across London and its surrounding areas. We are fortunate in Greater London to have so many interesting and historic properties to visit. We can learn something new, get to know each other and raise funds for the National Trust (NT).
Our funds have helped the NT to plant trees, replace amenities for visitors, restore furniture and paintings, refurbish visitor facilities and develop gardens.
Our members receive a regular newsletter, plus email updates.

We are an active group! See our latest programme below. We explore ‘new’ places in and around London, travelling by public transport or on foot. Each month we organise two guided tours; we visit livery companies, charitable organisations, stately homes and mansions, private gardens, theatres for backstage tours, museums, galleries and historic sports clubs. We might take a train outside London to a special place, museum or art exhibition; in summer we organise coach outings to historic properties and gardens.
Every month there are two rambles of 3-6 miles (with a lunch stop and convenient drop-out points).
Our short holidays take us to the historic houses and gardens of England or Wales, not forgetting our country’s significant urban heritage. If you join us we will welcome your ideas of new places to visit.

Upcoming events

Upcoming Events, 1October 2024 – 31 January 2025

1 Oct – garden & orchard tour – Ham House NT
7/8 Oct – guided tour – Boston Manor House
10 Oct – ramble – Alexandra Palace grounds
16 Oct –ramble – The Fleet River
19 Oct – AGM – St Paul’s Church, 5 Rossmore Rd NW1 6NJ
28 Oct – guided tour – Museum of the Order of St John
31 Oct – ramble – Kew Bridge to Hammersmith
4 Nov – guided tour – Handel Hendrix House
6 Nov – ramble – The Lost River Tyburn Part 2
14 Nov – ramble – Island Gardens to the Tower of London
21 Nov – guided tour – Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
28 Nov – ramble – Clerkenwell
4 Dec – ramble – High Barnet to Cockfosters
5 Dec – guided tour – Harrow School
9 Dec – guided tour – Institution of Civil Engineers
7 Jan – ramble – Finsbury Park to Highbury
14 Jan – guided tour – Sigmund Freud House
22 Jan – ramble – Chelsea literary walk
29 Jan – guided tour – Dartmouth House & the English Speaking Union
Membership is open to everyone, even if you are not a member of the National Trust.
It costs £18 per year, or only £10 for anyone receiving our programmes by email. (We send a new programme three times a year).
If you are not a member or volunteer of the National Trust there is also a one-off joining fee of £10.

For the details of our visits, rambles and holidays, contact the Membership Secretary by email or call 020 8742 2355

South East Surrey Association

Members from the Reigate, Redhill, Horley and surrounding areas are welcome to join the South East Surrey Association that was founded in 1981.

The aims of the group are to raise funds for local appeals, and promote and support the work of the National Trust. Places the group have supported include:

Polesden Lacey
Claremont
Clandon Park
Chartwell

Members enjoy day trips to places of interest such as National Trust properties or similar venues. Other activities include an afternoon tea party with a table top quiz , a Christmas lunch, and special speakers at our AGM.

Calendar of Events for 2024

Date	Type of event	Event
13th Feb	Meal	Ploughman’s Lunch
27th March	Outing	Mottisfont
16th May	Outing	Scotney Castle
4th July	Outing	Knole & Gardens
16th August	Meal	Afternoon Tea + Quizz
28th Oct	Outing	Chichester
October	Meeting	AGM + Speaker
Nov	Meal	Christmas Lunch

Wembley and District Centre

Looking for something to do in the evening? Interested in meeting new people? Join the Wembley and District Centre founded in 1979.

Wimbledon Association

The Wimbledon Association was founded in 1982 and has members from in and around south-west London.

The aim is to support properties in the area, particularly Morden Hall Park, by providing amenities, gardening, and educational equipment. Since the group was created, it has raised money for many National Trust projects, including the national coast fundraising campaign.

The group regularly visits Trust properties in the area, which have included:

Ham House

Polesden Lacey

Chartwell

South East Surrey Association

Members from the Reigate, Redhill, Horley and surrounding areas are welcome to join the South East Surrey Association that was founded in 1981.

The aims of the group are to raise funds for local appeals, and promote and support the work of the National Trust. Places the group have supported include:

Polesden Lacey
Claremont
Clandon Park
Chartwell

Calendar of Events for 2024

Date	Type of event	Event
13th Feb	Meal	Ploughman’s Lunch
27th March	Outing	Mottisfont
16th May	Outing	Scotney Castle
4th July	Outing	Knole & Gardens
16th August	Meal	Afternoon Tea + Quizz
28th Oct	Outing	Chichester
October	Meeting	AGM + Speaker
Nov	Meal	Christmas Lunch