The Beverley Causey-Smith interviews two of the newest members of the Bermuda National Trust: Steve Conway, executive director, and Amy Scott, development project manager.

Q: : ?I am the Executive Director of the Bermuda National Trust. I am a Chartered Surveyor by profession and I have been employed by the Trust for the last nine years dealing with the building and land preservation management issues that arise from the 76 sites that are protected by the Trust. Since the Trust is a preservation organisation my skills as a surveyor will still be useful, but as Director and skipper of the ship I am now responsible for all activities of the Trust including fund-raising, education, environmental concerns and the day to day management of the a charitable organisation.?: ?I am the Development Project Manager for the Bermuda National Trust. I hold a BA in English and before coming to the Trust worked in Graphic Design and Event Planning. My main responsibilities here include organising special events and publicity and promotion.? : ?The Christmas Walkabout in St. George?s is definitely one our favourite community events. We expect a few thousand people to attend each year. It takes the help of literally hundreds of volunteers to make an event like this a success. They help with everything from decorating the buildings to preparing food for the Membership Tent. We are also very fortunate to receive support from local organisations and businesses; the Corporation of St. George?s in particular provide and assists us with facilities.?

February is a very busy month for the Trust. We have a host of events including the Plant and Bake sale on the 7th at Waterville, the Children?s Nature Walk at Spittal Pond on the 10th, and one of our largest fundraising events the Auction, Jumble Sale and Raffle which take place at the Botanical Gardens the 12th and 13th. This is an early reminder to start your spring cleaning early and donate your unwanted treasures to the or bring them in on consignment. The Calcutta Tennis Tournament is set to take place at the Coral Beach and Tennis Club from 26th through the 29th.?

I joined the staff of the Trust in 1994. The work is enjoyable because it is so broad and varied and there is a chance to be creative and come up with new ideas to get the job done...I also work with a great bunch of people and committed volunteers . Fundamentally the Trust exists as a charity to preserve places of natural beauty and historic interest so if you love Bermuda it is easy to be motivated to do the job.? I joined the Trust as a volunteer in 2002, and became a full-time employee in the spring of 2003. I love my work. There is always something interesting going on whether it be a special event, environmental initiative or education project.

I feel very lucky to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people who really believe in what they?re doing - that was a big reason for wanting to join the organisation.?: ?My specific dream for the Trust would be to broaden the appeal and understanding of the Trust?s work to all in Bermuda and particularly for younger people ....and emphasise that we are saving places for the people of Bermuda and the future generations.??Our mandate is to promote the appreciation of the places we care for ....we do this through our events and publications and more recently through our education programme - to have more funds and staff resources for this area would also be a Christmas wish.??Currently we provide a teachers? resource package for the World Heritage Site, summer history and archaeology camps for children and special school tours of the Trust?s sites. The foundation of developing our education programme is further historic and environmental research to develop educational themes - this all costs money - although we do receive valuable volunteer assistance.??We don?t want the Trust?s properties to be locked in time and just a remnant of the past, but we want people to see them as places of involvement for learning about living history and as active buildings continuing in their life cycle and part of the modern life of the Island.

?Likewise preservation of open space in Bermuda is becoming critical as the pressures of economic growth demand more buildings and traffic - the Trust?s nature reserves provide a breathing space away from the busy life we all lead.?

: ?We have two National Trust stores - the Trustworthy Shop located in the Old Cellar on Front Street in Hamilton and in the National Trust Museum at the Globe in St George?s.