Tourist award for RHS flagship garden
6 May 2010
RHS Garden Wisley has won ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’ in the 2010 Enjoy England Awards for Excellence.
The awards, run by VisitEngland, the official English tourist board, covered 15 categories and had 45 finalists. They were sponsored by the Caravan Club.
James Rudoni, Head of Site at Wisley, accepted the award on behalf of the RHS. “This award reflects the hard work all our staff have put in. Last year we saw record numbers of visitors to Wisley, and this year looks even more promising.”
RHS Garden Wisley has introduced more activities for visitors and their families. The Maize Maze was a great success last year and a Sunflower Maze will be planted this year. The charity is also building a bird hide for those who want to study the 100 or so species of birds the garden attracts and work continues on the new rose garden, due for completion next year.
Mike Bedingfield, Chief Executive, Tourism South East said there had been much competition to win the top award. “There were so many high-calibre finalists from around the country and no other region in England was as well-represented as the South East, which is a real accolade for the quality and professionalism of RHS Garden Wisley. They gained their place at the national awards following their Gold award win at our regional awards, which this year saw the highest number and calibre of entrants in the South East ever.”
This summer's event programme at RHS Garden Wisley includes Mad about Machines (24-30 July), a display of vintage tractors; The Great Garden Adventure for families (19-20 June and 1-31 August); Latin dance nights (every Friday in August); an opportunity to learn how to grow soft fruit at the Berry weekend (3-4 July) and the Wisley Flower Show (10-12 September).
More about Wisley
More on the awards