A dedicated volunteer with the National Trust has been told he is no longer welcome after a major falling out stemming from his efforts to correct thousands of spelling and factual errors on the charity's official website.
A Decade of Service Ends in Acrimony
Andy Jones, a 71-year-old pensioner, had volunteered with the heritage organisation for well over ten years. His roles were varied, spanning sites including the Woolbeding Estate and the Devil's Punch Bowl in Surrey, where he undertook tasks from gardening and waste burning to guiding visitors.
In November 2024, driven by his own initiative, Mr Jones compiled a substantial dossier. This document catalogued a multitude of mistakes found on the National Trust's online presence, which he then sent directly to the organisation's director, Hilary McGrady.
The 400-Hour Labour of Love
The volunteer invested approximately 400 hours of his own time meticulously identifying errors. These ranged from simple typos like 'toliets' and 'permananat' to the misspelling of Pre-Raphaelite artist Lucy Madox Brown's name as 'Maddox Brown', alongside various grammatical issues.
Mr Jones stated his hope was simply that the errors would be amended. However, he grew increasingly frustrated after receiving no response or acknowledgement from Ms McGrady, who was awarded a CBE in 2025 for services to heritage.
An 'Inappropriate' Email and Irreversible Damage
After his initial communication in November and a follow-up in January 2025 went unanswered, Mr Jones resigned as a volunteer. He subsequently sent a strongly worded email to his manager, which he himself later admitted was inappropriate. In it, he referred to the website as "crappy" and made a derogatory comment about the director.
In reply, his manager expressed disappointment, stating the comments were 'not in line with our organisational values'. The Trust concluded that the relationship had been 'irreversibly damaged' and that Mr Jones would not be considered for any future volunteer roles.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the pensioner, who cited stress following a prostate cancer diagnosis, stood by his core critique. He described the National Trust as a 'brilliant' idea but claimed senior management were past their "use by" date, calling for a "new, young, vibrant leadership".
The National Trust's Stance
A spokesperson for the National Trust responded to the incident, stating: 'We are always happy to explain our decisions to individuals when it comes to their conduct and the standards we expect but we can't do this via a newspaper... We have a legal duty of confidentiality.'
They emphasised that no one would be banned simply for pointing out grammatical errors, clarifying that such an action alone would not cause a relationship breakdown. The spokesperson indicated that such outcomes typically follow 'a series of incidents'.
