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Hazel decided everything was up to
her. She had a dream of Lissan once again a hive of activity but
she could not manage on her own. She therefore
entrusted her inheritance to a group of like-minded people and asked them to
help her.
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The Friends of Lissan Trust was established on
the 5th of August, 1997, a Company limited by Guarantee with Charitable
status. The vision of the Directors who have worked tirelessly ever
since at their own expense is to retain the sense of a family home so that its
history will remain apparent, and to provide a wide range of accommodation for
artists of all kinds in a peaceful atmosphere yet with all modern aids at
their disposal.
The Business plan is in preparation - the Trust
must of course, be financially sound. The Architect has shown
how the yard buildings can be adapted into self-catering flats, how comfortable
en-suite rooms will be available in the Big House which will ideal for seminars,
lectures and musical evenings as in Sir Thomas's time.
Hopefully there will be a Gallery for the
pictures of Sir Robert Ponsonby where other artists may exhibit their work,
study his diaries and the considerable archive material. The
possibilities for the four and a half acre walled garden are endless if it can
be restored to its former glory both for cultivation and
recreation.
The Trust welcomes ideas and suggestions and
offers of help from Staples families World Wide and the relations and
descendants of those who worked on the Estate in years gone-by. The
Trust thanks everyone who has supported and encouraged Hazel since she set the
wheels in motion.
