Head Gardener Paul Walton with the newly finished section of the stumpery at Biddulph Grange Garden – National Trust – Image by Claire Humphreys.
Blue Diamond Garden Centres has announced that its collaboration with the National Trust has reached a landmark achievement, with over £1 million now having been given to the Trust to support vital conservation work across the UK.
Over the course of the collaboration, funds given by Blue Diamond Garden Centres have supported a wide range of National Trust projects – from restoring historic gardens and conserving rare habitats to strengthening biodiversity and responding to the challenges of climate change.
This funding has enabled vital projects to be carried out which will help safeguard the nation’s horticultural heritage.
Now, as the collaboration comes to a close, Blue Diamond Garden Centres and the National Trust are reflecting on the lasting impact of their work together. Over the course of their collaboration, the £1 million has supported a wide range of important conservation projects, helping the Trust to protect and enhance the nation’s special places.
Examples of the projects made possible include:
- Enhancing historic gardens – including creating a new flower garden at Berrington Hall in Herefordshire, renewing the kitchen garden at Wightwick Manor near Wolverhampton, supporting research ahead of the creation of an 18th-century inspired Apothecary Garden at Nostell in West Yorkshire, renovating the historic stumpery at Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire, and protecting the famous apple tree said to have inspired Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity, with a new fence at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire. In time, £300,000 given by Blue Diamond will enable 18th-century paths to be repaired and restored at famous landscape garden Stourhead in Wiltshire,improving access and enabling the paths to withstand extreme weather. A planning application has been submitted with work expected to be phased over several years.
- Protection of fragile habitats – such as the ancient woodlands at Croft Castle and Parkland in Herefordshire, by using funding from Blue Diamond Garden Centres to plant 200 new oak trees, so safeguarding biodiversity and encouraging the return of native species there.
- Conservation of heritage buildings and landscapes – maintaining structures and grounds of national importance for the enjoyment of visitors and local communities, such as the rebuilding of the glasshouse at Benthall Hall in Shropshire.
- Climate resilience initiatives – supporting the Trust’s work to adapt sites to the challenges of climate change, by incorporating sustainable planting schemes. One such project was to reinstate wildflower meadows at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, the former home of Sir Isaac Newton.
Ancient Trees at Croft Castle, Herefordshire- National Trust- Image by Julian Hight.
Together, these achievements represent a significant and lasting legacy of the collaboration, ensuring that the natural and cultural heritage cared for by the National Trust can continue to inspire future generations.
The National Trust’s Head of Gardens and Parks, Sheila Das, said: "We are very grateful for Blue Diamond Garden Centres' support, which has seen vital projects accomplished across a breadth of garden features. This funding has enabled us to make real progress in caring for the places people love, enabling many to enjoy them now and into the future."
Alan Roper, Managing Director of Blue Diamond Garden Centres, said: “We are immensely proud to have reached the milestone of £1 million in support for the National Trust. This achievement reflects the passion and commitment of our customers and colleagues, who share our belief in protecting the nation’s natural and cultural heritage. While our formal collaboration is now concluding, our admiration for the Trust’s work remains steadfast.”
