The National Trust, the UK’s largest and richest charity with 74 million visitors a year has fought off a legal claim for compensation of £300,000 after an 11 year old boy was killed and three others injured, one now using a wheel-chair, by a two ton, 70 foot tree branch that broke off and fell on them during a school visit to Felbrigg Hall, near Cromer, Norfolk four years ago.

The High Court found that the National Trust were not legally liable for the accident.

It is, of course, open to the very rich Trust to do what many feel would be the decent thing, rather than the legal thing ,and pay the above amount, which for them would be a very small sum of money, without admitting liability. When you lose the hearts and minds of donors and potential donors a small victory in court can become a very large loss in the marketplace.