Environmental protest at charity-owned manor house

The protesters want the National Trust to cut ties with Barclays

Protesters gathered at a manor house to urge its owners to cut ties with a bank they claim funds fossil fuels.

Campaigners set up a stall at the National Trust's East Riddlesden Hall, near Keighley, on Monday to call for the charity to stop banking with Barclays.

The National Trust said it understood the need to find solutions to the climate crisis and the strength of feeling about this among some of its supporters.

Barclays said it had stopped "direct financing" of new oil and gas projects and was supporting an energy sector in transition.

Christine Selby from XR (Extinction Rebellion) Ilkley was part of the event which was organised by Christians for Climate Action.

"Lots of people here love the National Trust, our leaflets in fact say 'I love the National Trust'.

"But what we're not happy with is the National Trust banking with Barclays, because Barclays is the biggest investor in fossil fuels in Europe."

She said they felt the National Trust's ethos was to protect the environment and hoped the organisation would go "that one more step and choose a different bank".

A spokesperson for the charity said: "The National Trust fully understands the urgency needed to find solutions to the climate crisis and the strength of feeling about this among some of our supporters."

They added that Barclay's announcement that it would stop direct financing clients "engaged in oil and gas expansion".

"It is critically important that we continue to engage with the banking sector to do more and faster to reduce financed emissions."

A spokeswoman for the bank said: "We have stopped direct financing of new oil and gas projects, have set out clear requirements on our energy clients’ targets, transition plans or decarbonisation strategies, and have a target to facilitate $1trillion of Sustainable and Transition Finance by 2030."

The hall is a 17th Century manor house which was once at the heart of the agricultural estate of Riddlesden.

Its estate dates back more than 1,400 years, with a dwelling existing on the site since the 7th Century.

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