Crisis at John Muir Trust deepens as head of policy publicly resigns
Thomas Widrow said the charity is being ‘led over a cliff-edge’
The crisis engulfing the John Muir Trust has deepened after its head of policy resigned and warned it is being “led over a cliff-edge”.
Thomas Widrow called on the charity’s supporters to act now to save it from a “disastrous lack of leadership”.
It comes after Professor Denis Mollison, one of two surviving original members of the JMT, was expelled from its board.
The JMT owns and manages some 25,400 hectares in Scotland, including part of Ben Nevis and Schiehallion.
However, it has been embroiled in controversy in recent years amid claims of poor leadership and governance failures.
In a statement published on social media, Mr Widrow said he had lost confidence in the leadership of chair Jane Smallman and chief executive David Balharry.
He said his decision to resign was not taken lightly, adding: “Over the past few months, those closest to me have seen my mental and physical health degrade as I was forced by the CEO to defend my team’s ability to successfully advocate on behalf of wild places.
“That situation was untenable. So despite my deep commitment to the trust’s mission to protect and restore wild places, and the fact I got to work with incredibly talented people across the whole organisation and beyond, I came to accept, with a heavy heart, that whilst David Balharry and Jane Smallman were leading the organisation, I would not be allowed to do what I was hired to do - advocate for the protection and restoration of wild places.”
Mr Widrow said he holds Ms Smallman and Mr Balharry “personally responsible for the failings of the trust and the incredible internal upheaval it faces today”, adding: “Until they resign, the trust will not recover.”
He continued: “If you have relied on the trust to defend the wild places you love, you must act now to save it from the CEO and the chair’s disastrous lack of leadership. I won’t be able to fight this fight alone.”
Third Force News, which covers Scotland’s charity sector, reported that two trustees have also resigned in recent weeks, while David Fleetwood, director of land policy, announced he was leaving on Wednesday.
Alison Russell, the charity's former chief finance officer, was reportedly “effectively driven out” of the board last year. The JMT has disputed her version of events.
Last month, Prof Mollison said the chair and CEO “have brought the trust into very significant disrepute”.
A spokesperson for the John Muir Trust said: “We are sorry that Thomas Widrow has decided to move on from the John Muir Trust. During his time at the Trust, Thomas made a significant contribution to our policy work. We would like to thank him for his passion and commitment and wish him well for the future.
"Our priority at this time is supporting our staff and our focus will always be on delivering our charitable purpose to protect wild places. The biggest threat to wild places comes from human attrition - nature and wild places have no voice and we speak for them.”
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