Hepscott Park team help to restore storm-damaged gardens of Northumberland hotel

Hepscott Park's horticultural skills unit team and Clennell Hall staff.

Clennell Hall’s grounds were badly damaged when Storm Arwen and its near-100mph winds ripped through the Coquet Valley in the autumn.

Most devastating was the loss of a walnut tree which had stood proudly in the grounds of the 13th century building for hundreds of years.

The walnut tree had always been the centre piece of wedding photos at the venue, so urgent action was needed to breathe new life into the gardens for the 2022 wedding bookings.

One of the Hepscott Park team hard at work.

The Friends of Clennell Hall Facebook group rose to the challenge and raised just short of £1,000 to help out.

They reached out to Hepscott Park horticultural skills unit (HSU), near Morpeth, which provide training and work experience in horticulture for adults with learning disabilities.

The HSU, which is operated by Northumberland County Council, also offers a wide range of annual and perennial plants grown in their glasshouses and polytunnels.

They sell plants direct to the public and grow most of the plants ourselves from seed or cuttings, producing bedding plants, house plants, hanging baskets and shrubs and specialising in unusual herbaceous perennials.

After an initial scoping meeting with the management of the HSU it was agreed that they would take on the project to revitalise the gardens.

They provided the manpower, hundreds of perennials, a few annuals and some bedding plants for good measure which were all grown on site by Hepscott HSU’s dedicated team.

Over two weeks, staff members and service users from the HSU attended the Alwinton hotel, preparing the grounds and planting up the borders in rain or shine.

The team at Clennell Hall made sure they were fed and watered as a well-deserved reward for their efforts.

John Ramshaw, proprietor of Clennell Hall Country House, said: “The HSU team had worked very hard, done a fantastic job and the gardens look brilliant!”

Both the HSU and Clennell Hall teams are excited to see the gardens in full bloom this summer and look forward to the visitors and guests enjoying them too for years to come.