Dig for the Future at Weston Park
Dig for the future at Weston Park – charity seeks Volunteers to bring Walled Garden Back to Life
Weston Park, the stately home situated on the border of Shropshire and Staffordshire is hosting a Volunteers Open Day on Thursday 27th January, offering gardening enthusiasts the opportunity to become volunteers and play a vital part in the next phase of restoration and development of the estate’s historic Capability Brown designed Walled Garden.
Originally designed in 1765, the four-acre garden, enclosed by mellow brick walls, was last in full production in the earlier part of the twentieth century. Work started in 2019 to start producing vegetables for the kitchens on the estate. Now the next phase of restoration is set to begin, enabling the garden to produce more organic food which can be enjoyed by visitors to the estate and for it to be used as an educational resource by school groups and general visitors.
Weston Park is looking for keen volunteers who would like to regularly help the estate’s garden team in planting, tending and harvesting in the traditional kitchen garden as part of this ambitious plan to fully restore this world of healthy food production. Produce from the Walled Garden is already used in the estate’s popular Granary Brasserie and the House kitchen.
Gareth Williams, Curator & Head of Learning said “The plan is that as the garden is redeveloped, it will increase the amount of produce grown onsite and it will play a greater part in hosting educational visits to the estate. In recent months the garden has become a focus for Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) sessions. These are designed for children from Shropshire Council and Staffordshire County Council areas led by Educating Kids Outdoors, which has indicated a strong demand for learning more about healthy foods.”
How to get involved
Weston Park already has a keen team of volunteers who help in other aspects of the historic estate’s conservation, and so the estate is holding an open morning on Thursday 27th January 2022 at 10.00am for anyone who might like to join the team and get involved. The morning will include the chance to meet some of the team with presentations about the history of the gardens, the production and use of food in the kitchens and in education at Weston and the chance to see the Walled Gardens themselves. To register to join the Walled Garden Volunteer Open Morning please contact Alison Poole on 01952 852130 or alison.poole@weston-park.com
