INTO Places

Launch of the International National Trusts Reciprocal Visitors Scheme

18th April 2022 saw the launch of the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) reciprocal visiting scheme. Under this scheme thirty-two National Trusts in twenty-four countries have got together to open up their properties to members of participating trusts, free of charge.

On presentation of your Din l-Art Ħelwa membership card, you will be able to visit over 1,000 properties free of charge in England, Scotland, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and a host of other countries as far away as Canada, New Zealand and Australia. For Din l-Art Ħelwa members, this includes free access to National Trust properties in England and Scotland including national parks, stately homes, fortresses and historical buildings. The new membership cards have the INTO logo to facilitate this. The scheme is an exciting new step taken by INTO to encourage co-operation between National Trusts around the world and a greater awareness of our common natural and historical heritage. More trusts are expected to join the scheme in due course.

So if you are travelling, do look up the INTO website on https://www.into.org/places/ and check out any places you would like to visit—and don’t forget to take your Din L-Art Helwa membership card with you.

INTO is a diverse network of heritage organisations from across the globe, with eighty-five members in sixty-five countries. It is united by a common approach to the conservation of world heritage—built and natural, tangible and intangible.

It facilitates the exchange of expertise, promotes best practice and shares resources to increase global capacity for heritage protection. It uses its shared knowledge to support new trusts to grow, and lends its voice to key discussions in the heritage sector.

Din l-Art Ħelwa has been involved with INTO since its inception some fifteen years ago. It was involved, through its then president Martin Scicluna, in the steering committee which charted its foundation, guided by the National Trust of England and Wales. Since then, Din l-Art Ħelwa has remained an active member and has retained a seat on the board of trustees through Simone Mizzi and now Martin Galea.

Din l-Art Ħelwa has recently benefited from the Covid scheme launched by the charity to help trusts through the pandemic as well as through exchange visits organised by Union Rempart. Most recently, a field trip was organised with one of the National Trust conservation experts for the Torri tal-Qbajjar project in Marsalforn. INTO also organises exchanges of information and best practice through conferences, lectures, workshops, exchanges and mentoring.