Volunteers give North East observatory a makeover
Dedicated volunteers spent a week giving a much-loved observatory in the North East its annual makeover.
Friends of Kielder Observatory, in Northumberland, gathered with cleaning equipment, gardening tools, and paintbrushes to clear the vegetation under the observatory, increase the size and layout of the gift shop and put up some new screens in the Sir Patrick Moore Observatory.
The hard work came as the observatory saw its VisitEngland assessment score go up from 83 per cent to 86 per cent, placing it firmly in the top tier of visitor attractions nationally.
Many of the volunteers had come from Accenture’s Newcastle office, a global professional services company, with work supported by the observatory’s own team of staff and volunteers.
David Darlington, Associate Director at Accenture, said: “We’re now into the third year of our partnership with Kielder Observatory, and I love witnessing first-hand the positive impact we are having on our surrounding community. We have some exciting plans for the future, so watch this space.”
Leigh Venus, CEO of Kielder Observatory, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to our volunteers and everyone who helped during the week. Accenture has been a fantastic partner, bringing many volunteers and committing to our work.
“The assessor for VisitEngland had a fantastic time on site during their visit and was incredibly impressed by the huge difference at the Observatory since last year following the improvements of maintenance week.”