Here are some answers to questions we often get asked about the progress of the Seaton Delaval Hall appeal. If you have any other queries, please email us.

Does the National Trust now own Seaton Delaval Hall?

Not yet, but we are confident of success. Much progress has been made since the start of the year: we have reached the £4 million milestone, thanks to additional donations from the general public and, confirmed this week, a £1 million contribution from One North East.

We are now hopeful that the outcome of the Acceptance in Lieu process will shortly confirm the transfer of ownership of the Hall and gardens and the most important contents from Lord Hastings to the National Trust in lieu of his inheritance tax bill.

This will leave us just £300,000 off our appeal target of £6.3 million. We urge supporters to help us raise this remaining £300,000 but are determined not to walk away if we can not reach the £6.3 million mark immediately.

What costs does your £6.3 million fundraising target cover?

Approximately £3 million of this fundraising target is needed to provide the facilities and services necessary to open Seaton Delaval Hall to the public on a more regular basis than it is at present, and welcome an expected 50,000 visitors a year, such as:

• Re-wiring the property and improving sewerage and drainage
• Re-roofing the east and west wings
• Enhancing visitor facilities – e.g. car park, toilets, tea-room, educational space, children’s play area
• Additional staff to prepare property for public opening

The remaining part of the £6.3 million is an independent valuation of the purchase price of the buildings and land, commissioned by the National Trust last summer. Since then, the Government has commissioned a re-valuation of the property as part of the Acceptance in Lieu process.

What is the last £300,000 needed for?

The £300,000 that we still need to raise will help us to meet any remaining shortfall on the cost of land.

How do you hope to raise this last £300,000?

The Trust would like to call on everyone in the North East and across the UK to give what they can in support of this final fundraising push to save the Hall. Whether you can give one pound or one hundred pounds, every donation is a valuable investment in the future of this special place.

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What will be transferred to the National Trust through the AIL process?

The Acceptance in Lieu process is a private matter between the Inland Revenue and Lord Hastings, but we hope it will see the Hall, Gardens and some of Seaton Delaval’s most significant historic contents and collections come into National Trust ownership.

What is Lord Hastings selling via Sotheby’s on 29 September?

There will be a sale of Seaton Delaval Hall contents and collections at Sotheby’s on 29 September. These comprise, in the context of the whole collection, a small group of objects most of which have previously been in the private apartments at Seaton Delaval Hall and which it would not be practicable to display to the public.

After £6.3 million is reached, will that be the end of the fundraising for Seaton Delaval Hall?

As a charity, fundraising will always be at the centre of the National Trust’s ability to care for special places such as Seaton Delaval Hall in perpetuity. However, once the property opens for visitors, alternative sources of income-generation will be possible, such as admission prices, membership sales, corporate supporters and grant bids to fund specific projects.

Is the National Trust contributing its own money to acquire Seaton Delaval Hall?

We have pledged to provide £6.9 million from the Trust’s own resources to create an endowment fund for Seaton Delaval Hall. This is the largest pledge of this kind that the charity has ever made at this stage of an acquisition. It will create an investment fund to pay for the property's long term conservation needs.

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I have pledged a donation if the fundraising appeal is successful. How will I know that you are ready for my money?

We have kept records of all pledges and will contact you, but if you hear through the media that it is “all systems go”, then please don’t wait and do send your cheque to your contact person in the Trust.

What will happen if the Trust does not acquire Seaton Delaval Hall?

It is likely that the property will be sold privately and public access will be lost.

Can the public visit Seaton Delaval Hall now?

Lord Hastings, the current owner of Seaton Delaval Hall is opening a limited part of the Hall and gardens to the public on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons until the end of September 2009. There is an admission charge to visit. As the property does not yet belong to the National Trust, National Trust members are not entitled to free access and would have to pay this admission charge.

If the Trust is successful in its bid to save Seaton Delaval Hall, when will it be open to the public?

It is not possible to give an exact date for opening yet, as this will depend on the speed of the legal acquisition process, but we are committed to offering public access as soon as practical. We hope that if everything progresses to plan this will be spring 2010.

We want to continue giving local people and our supporters nationwide the opportunity to help shape Seaton Delaval Hall into a thriving community resource and cultural attraction. At first, many things may look the same, and some parts of the property will remain closed for tasks like electrical re-wiring, but projects will soon start to improve the facilities and to tell the stories of the estate.

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What might the Hall look like under Trust management?

Since launching our campaign we have asked the public to tell us how Seaton Delaval Hall can best serve the needs and wants of local people and visitors. The information gathered from this consultation, along with wider conservation and business needs, will be combined to create our vision for an exciting and sustainable future for the estate under Trust ownership: a first class visitor attraction, offering community, cultural and corporate opportunities.

Are you still looking for volunteers?

Yes! We aim to have a team of volunteers in place to help ensure that we can move swiftly to open the Hall to the general public when we know the outcome of our grant bids and fundraising. There will be a huge variety of opportunities available, whether you are into gardening, conservation or working with visitors, we’ll try to match your skills and interests to our needs. In the meantime, volunteers will have the opportunity to stay in touch with regular meetings, to help out at fundraising events and join us in planning for the future. Please email seatondelavalhall@nationaltrust.org.uk or call 0191 2557614 for more information.

Will any more big events take place at Seaton Delaval Hall before the Trust owns it?

Community events at Seaton Delaval Hall have been an important part of our campaign to help save and shape the property, but we do not currently intend to host any more major events before acquisition. If people would like to organise fundraising activities and events at other venues to support the appeal, we will help them publicise these.