From: Peter Weightman
Sent: 15 March 2024 19:36
To: Alec Renwick <alec.renwick@nemaritimetrust.org.uk>; Branson, Richard: Paul Nicholson; Mick Dawson
Cc: Kevin Lund <kevin.lund@nemaritimetrust.org.uk>; Barnard, Keith; Dr Griffiths, Sue
Subject: Re: Consider Urgent
Dear Alec,
I am somewhat distressed to receive your message this afternoon.
I make four points:
- I would be grateful if you could distinguish between me, as a person, and the Northumbrian Fishing Heritage Trust. I was a founder of NEMT, for the larger part of its existence I was Chairman, I contributed a great amount of energy and made personal sacrifices, I passionately want to see a revival of it, and I will take those measures as are sound and lawful to encourage its return to its objectives – especially the maritime heritage objectives – and take steps to promote a return to good ethical standards, whilst endeavouring to avoid reputational damage to NEMT.
- If I choose to communicate with my friends and colleagues, whose details I have in my file, and if I do so in a private and confidential manner – for the purpose of returning NEMT to its former path – then I am free to do so without seeking the consent of you or the board members.
- If an NEMT member other than myself has been undertaking action to which you take exception, I suggest you take up that matter with him directly, you can also ask if he was undertaking those actions in his capacity as a member of NEMT or in a different capacity.
- I note that you are conflating internal NEMT issues with another trust, i.e. the Northumbrian Fishing Heritage Trust. The two trusts are complementary, not competitors, and the NFHT was given charity accreditation with the active support of NEMT. The two trusts worked in fruitful co-operation for many years however there is no benefit accruing to the common cause of local maritime heritage by following a route of confrontation; a course of reconciliation should be the object of both trusts.
I utterly refute any suggestion that my actions have been improper.
On a more personal level, I would like you to ask yourself why you are following a route of division; for years we worked together with a passion to create and a vision to develop NEMT – it was a most fruitful partnership – what has gone wrong in the last two years?
Yours sincerely,
Peter Weightman