The grounds of the Mille Fleurs Heritage House came alive over the weekend as the second edition of Hop, Hunt & Heritage kicked off.
Hosted by the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago, the event brought together participants of all ages to experience heritage in real time.
Building on the growing success of family-focused heritage experiences at Mille Fleurs, Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, Graeme Suite, explained that one of the main objectives of the event was to unite tangible heritage with intangible heritage.
“The event today is providing children with the opportunity to learn about traditional games and festivities, so we have the maypole dancing, we’re doing the Easter egg hunt, the traditional stuff, we have horseback riding, the Tin Pan Alley, as well as a very popular Easter bunny bonnet parade.”
While stories of heritage are often told through edifices and historical sites, the National Trust sought to portray these stories through families, uniting both young and old for a fun-filled event.
“We have a number of tours throughout Trinidad and Tobago every weekend. There’s a very popular tour on the water taxi doing a tour of the Western Isles and a number of tours to every corner of Trinidad and Tobago.”
More than just a fun-filled event, Mr. Suite added that these activities will also put extra cash into the pockets of business owners through a profitable incentive.
“We also have, on the more serious side, as a way of protecting our tangible heritage, a heritage tax allowance programme where we collaborate with the business community to underwrite the cost of heritage restoration works, and they get the opportunity to claim 150% of their contribution when filing tax returns.”
The National Trust said it remains committed to serving this country’s most valuable heritage: the people.