Our wonderful Botanic Garden has been awarded Gold in the ‘Best Tourist or Visitor Attraction or Country Estate’ category of the annual Northumbria in Bloom Competition. This the seventh time the Garden has been recognised, adding to its impressive portfolio of awards and accreditations.
The 10-hectare Botanic Garden is set among beautiful mature woodland on the southern outskirts of Durham city. The Garden offers a wide variety of landscapes to explore, including wild meadows, Art and Nature Trails, glasshouses and welcomes visitors throughout the year, who can also relax and enjoy the on-site cafe.
Since the end of the pandemic, staff and volunteers at the Garden have worked hard to welcome back regular visitors and attract new ones to enjoy all the Garden has to offer. Last summer the Garden hosted its first Family Fun Day, attracting over 700 visitors to enjoy face-painting and pond-dipping, live music and craft activities. The event was such a success it will be repeated next year and is set to become a highlight in the Botanic Garden’s calendar.
Manager Peter Thomson is delighted with the Award, saying “This is credit to a great team effort of staff and volunteers who continuously work hard to ensure visitors to the Botanic Garden are able to enjoy nature all year round”.
Northumbria in Bloom is one of the founding regions of the national Britain in Bloom competition and recognises community groups who work together to transform their village, town or city through gardening, environmental awareness and community support. Since 2002 it has been run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and 17 regions across the United Kingdom participate.
Northumbria in Bloom includes Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and the unitary Council areas of Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough, and Redcar & Cleveland.
The Botanic Garden is currently open daily from 10am to 4.30pm, until the end of October, when opening hours change for the winter. Winter opening hours (November to February) are 10.30am to 4pm.
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