Nottingham Castle staff upset by racist abuse response

The castle reopened its doors in April after a £30m refit

A Nottingham Castle employee has said staff feel "stressed and upset" about the way trustees have responded to alleged racist incidents.

The member of staff - who wished to remain anonymous - criticised bosses' reactions to an open letter from seven staff members about their grievances.

The trust has appointed an independent reviewer to investigate an alleged racist attack in the castle grounds.

It said it abhorred "any form of discrimination".

'Keeping things quiet'

The staff member is one of a number of current and former workers going by the name of "The Castle's Staff of Colour".

They said there had been "incidents of racism" at the site and felt their grievances were not being taken seriously.

In August, Panya Banjoko, who curated an exhibition at the castle, claimed her grandchildren were racially abused in the grounds.

Following her complaint, the castle said it had appointed an independent investigator.

However, some staff subsequently wrote an open letter to the trustees in which they called for some of the members of the trust, which runs the site, to be removed and replaced.

The worker told BBC Radio Nottingham staff felt there was a "culture of fear and intimidation" at the organisation and colleagues had been left "stressed and upset".

"I think they [the trust] are more concerned with keeping things quiet," they added.

"I don't really have any faith or trust in them."

A Nottingham Castle spokesperson said they continued to be concerned about comments made in public, which it felt "undermined" the investigations taking place.

Their statement added: "The trustees want to make it absolutely clear that they abhor any form of discrimination, hate crime and abuse - and racism and will not be tolerated on our premises.

"The castle is not a place where staff or visitors should feel unsafe. Our objective in appointing an independent investigator is that they will be able to establish the facts and make any recommendations.

"The trustees have also offered to meet staff - and have repeated this offer in a formal letter to them. We are disappointed that this offer has not been accepted but we are hopeful that staff will come forward so we can hear what they have to say."

It said it would not comment further on the matter due to an ongoing police investigation and independent investigations.