Author Archives: Emily Craig
As part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations, we’re delighted to unveil our brand-new, limited edition Cask Aged Gin!
Beginning with our signature award-winning Poison Garden Gin, this special release has been patiently matured for 12 months in two carefully selected Scottish whisky casks. Over time, the interaction between spirit and wood has added remarkable depth, gently transforming the gin while preserving the botanical character that defines it. With just 250 bottles available, this is a rare and collectable expression, crafted to mark a significant milestone in our story.
The result is a beautifully smooth and elegantly balanced spirit. Subtle notes of vanilla and honeyed oak intertwine with the gin’s botanicals, while a touch of warming spice lingers on the finish, a gin designed to be savoured.
This limited edition release is not only a celebration of where we’ve been, but an invitation to look forward to the next 25 years and beyond.
You can shop our limited edition Cask Aged Gin in The Alnwick Garden Gift Shop or online here
While our doors have been closed, our gardening team has been hard at work preparing The Rose Garden for something truly special – the 25th anniversary of The Alnwick Garden.
Over the past few weeks, the team has removed 600mm of old soil and carefully lifted more than 300 rose plants, paving the way for a complete transformation of the two central beds. This major refresh marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for one of our most loved spaces.
Next, the beds will be replenished with nutrient-rich homemade compost and fresh soil before 400 brand-new David Austin roses are planted. While this important work continues, The Rose Garden will remain temporarily closed, but we’ll be sharing regular updates on social media so you can follow the journey every step of the way.
This is just phase one of a longer-term vision, with the remaining beds scheduled for replanting over the next three years.
We can’t wait for you to enjoy the transformation in the summer and experience The Rose Garden in full bloom – bursting with fresh life, colour, and fragrance for many seasons to come.
What’s your favourite memory of The Rose Garden?
At The Alnwick Garden, we’ve always believed in creating a place for everyone. Our wonderful volunteer, Sue Simpson, put it best when she described us as “a garden for all to enjoy.”
One of the most heartfelt expressions of this is our Drop-In Centre, which this year proudly marks its 10th anniversary. Situated in the middle of our courtyard, it has become a fundamental part of The Garden and represents everything we are passionate about creating: community, companionship and celebration.
Established by the Duchess of Northumberland with a clear and powerful mission, the Centre aims to combat loneliness and isolation by providing a safe space for people in their later years to connect. So far, we have had 50,000 visits from members of the local community, an astounding achievement of which we are extremely proud.
The Centre is designed to feel familiar and comfortable, much like sitting down in the home of a friend. Its creation and evolution have been a collaborative effort, and we would like to give our thanks to all those who have been involved in this journey.
In particular, we express our gratitude to the Stuart Halbert Foundation, whose generous donations were invaluable in helping us achieve the safe, inviting space we envisioned.
What truly makes this venue special is the people – thanks to our dedicated volunteers and extraordinary visitors, it is always filled with laughter and conversation. However, there is one individual without whom this would not have been possible: our beloved volunteer, Sue. Her kindness and passion know no bounds and have profoundly impacted the lives of so many. She truly embodies the spirit of this project, and we are exceptionally grateful for her contribution.
If you, or anyone you know, would benefit from visiting our Drop In Centre, we would love to welcome you. We are open every Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, and can guarantee there will be a friendly face waiting to greet you.
Introducing our brand new partnership with Fundraise & Recycle!
We’re absolutely delighted to announce our latest collaboration at The Alnwick Garden, as we continue to fulfil our sustainable and charitable goals, by encouraging all of our lovely visitors to recycle used clothing and textiles.
We now have two interactive clothes banks on site, one in the accessible car park and one in the overflow car park where we are encouraging you, yes you, to drop off the bits you no longer need. All of the donated clothes allow us to raise funds for our charity whilst recycling and helping people who need it the most.
These aren’t just any clothes banks, they’re incredibly state of the art and beautiful, with digital data trackers, a charity profile and even the ability to talk to you, yes, you read that right! The incredible team at Fundraise & Recycle help charities, schools and community groups to fulfil their fundraising goals and have already raised nearly £500,000 and counting.
Look out for further information about how you can help us to meet our ambitions to fundraise to support our community and education programmes but for now, here’s some helpful links:
Our Profile
About Fundraise & Recycle
Sponsor one of our Clothes Banks
Start a campaign
To learn more about our Charity, click here
Registered Charity Number: 1095435
We’re delighted to announce our brand new corporate partnership, as The Alnwick Garden teams up with locally loved, family-run firm Blueline Taxis.
The team at Blueline Taxis, are committed to making your journey comfortable, convenient, stress-free and, with shared goals, values and a community focus, they are the perfect pairing as the latest travel partner to come ‘on board’ with us.
Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be running joint offers, competitions and collaborations but for now, here’s a little more insight into why Blueline are the peoples choice when it comes to local private travel.
Driving a greener future
An alignment of goals, values and beliefs are essential in any successful partnerships and, just like The Alnwick Garden, Blueline are committed to reducing their environmental impact and promoting sustainability within their operations. The Blueline Green Policy reflects their dedication to a greener future and outlines the steps they take to ensure our services are eco-friendly.
Each year, Blueline serve over 10,608,000 passengers throughout the region, boasting an exceptional 99.7% satisfaction rating.
Their fleet of modern, eco-friendly vehicles ensures every journey is safe, comfortable, and efficient and we can’t wait to be teaming up with their 800 drivers to ensure visitors get to and from The Garden and Lilidorei.
For the community
The Alnwick Garden is more than a garden and Blueline is more than just a transportation service; like us, they’re deeply ingrained in our community. They proudly support and collaborate with local charities, working together to make a positive impact in the lives of those they serve. Blueline’s commitment to diversity and inclusion extends to their strong track record in supporting LGBT and disability rights – causes that are close to our hearts at The Garden too and integral to our company values.
“As North East England’s leading taxi firm, we’re incredibly proud to become an official transport partner for The Alnwick Garden,” said Tom Shanks, Director at Blueline Taxis. “This partnership aligns perfectly with our shared values – from our growing fleet of low-emission vehicles matching their sustainability goals, to our mutual focus on accessibility and creating welcoming experiences for all visitors. Whether it’s families enjoying a day out or tourists exploring the region, we’re committed to providing reliable, environmentally-conscious transport that complements the Garden’s world-class offering.”
Thank you so much to the team at Blueline Taxis, we’re excited to see where our partnership takes us!
On 26th January 2025, the incredible Annasley Park embarked on an epic solo and unsupported rowing adventure across the Atlantic Ocean, where uncertainty meets possibility. She aims to inspire and educate a generational shift in resilience – one explorer, one documentary, one ocean at a time.
This exploration will not be without its challenges. Battling against 40-foot waves and relentless conditions, Annasley, is aiming to complete her mission of rowing 3000 miles in less than 40 days. Just as this endeavour serves as a metaphor of life’s highs and lows, she invites you on her journey of how to embrace the waves of uncharted waters.
Not only is this lady a real life super woman, she’s choosing to take on her epic adventure to support our Alnwick Garden Charitable Trust, alongside another 3 incredible charities, and we couldn’t be more grateful!
We’ll be posting regular progress updates and keeping an eye on Annasley’s live tracker every step of the way over on our LinkedIn and social stories!
You can also keep up to date and donate to this incredible challenge here
