National survey reveals rise in visitor numbers for Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden
18% increase in visitor numbers at Wakehurst includes more Friends of Wakehurst, children and families.
Release date: 16 March 2018
Wakehurst's best performance in five years
Wakehurst has registered its best performance in the last five years according to figures published in the latest ALVA table (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions), which shows the number of people attending visitor attractions across the UK.
Visitor numbers rose 18% year on year in 2017, and this rapid growth saw Wakehurst rise 10 places in the tables released today.
Within this growth are higher numbers of children and families visiting, as well as those joining as Friends of Wakehurst.
Tony Sweeney, Director of Wakehurst, said: “We are delighted with our figures and see this as a marker that more people are enjoying all that Wakehurst has to offer.
“We are constantly striving for excellence and have invested in new areas for our visitors to enjoy. Recently we have opened up Westwood Valley revealing magnificent views; increased our wild play areas for children with the installation of Tree Trunk Trek; and introduced exhibitions such as 'Secret Structures: inside the story of plants and fungi' to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank.
“And, a newly designed Winter Garden is in the final stages of being planted with 33,000 plants that will begin to flourish later this year.”
Tony said that Wakehurst is very excited about the future and would take every opportunity it could to inspire more adults and children to come and learn about nature, science and conservation and its importance for the future.
He added: “The huge popularity of Glow Wild, Wakehurst’s evocative winter lantern festival, as well as the Kew Science Festival at Wakehurst, Bountiful Botanics and Wild Wood festivals have all played their part in this success.”
Ends
Notes to editors
Coming up at Wakehurst
2018 is set to be another big year for Wakehurst as it prepares to welcome visitors for an Easter Egg Trail, 30th March – 1st April and for two weeks of Peter Rabbit inspired activities over the Easter holidays, 30th March – 15th April.
Wild Wood Festival will take place 26th – 28th May and The Kew Science Festival at Wakehurst will be held 21st – 22nd July.
A newly planted Winter Garden is the biggest horticultural re-design in the past decade at Wakehurst. This will see 33,000 plants and clusters of mature trees coming together in a contemporary design which will flourish early next year.
A programme of infrastructure refurbishment has seen paths repaired and new ones installed, plus our glorious boardwalks have been replaced so our visitors can enjoy improved access to the wetland area of the Loder Valley.
For more information contact: Sandra Howard, Communications and Content Manager on 01444 894336
Wakehurst, Kew's wild botanic garden in the Sussex High Weald, is one of the most beautiful and significant botanic gardens in the country. It is home to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, which houses and protects seed from the world’s most substantial and diverse collection of threatened and useful wild plants, and leads the MSB Partnership, a crucially important global science-based conservation programme which is the largest of its kind in the world. The estate includes a contemporary botanic garden, where ornamental plantings and exotic tree and shrub collections of international importance sit within native woodland. Wakehurst’s natural assets associated with its countryside location renders it complementary to Kew’s West London site, with different growing conditions, and a real emphasis on wild plant collections. Coupled with the Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst offers an inspiring, immersive, and educational day out for the whole family, and serves as a vital contribution to UK and global plant conservation.
Please note that Wakehurst is referred to just as Wakehurst, not Wakehurst Place. It is not a National Trust property.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international and a top London visitor attraction. Kew's 132 hectares of landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew's Wild Botanic Garden, attract over 2.1 million vists every year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009. Wakehurst is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. Kew receives just under half of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needed to support Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales.