Alnwick Garden bosses say the North East attraction can play a part in efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic through its new £15m extension.
The garden closed in March amid efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, at the end of one of the Northumberland tourist site’s most successful years.
Visitors have flocked back since its reopening, with latest accounts for the trust that runs the garden saying how it is drawing in thousands of visitors every week, having adapted the garden to various social distancing criteria.
As well as taking advantage of the Government’s Job Support Scheme and furloughing staff, the accounts show how the garden received £500,000 in the form of a CBILS loan - but it stressed the cash is being held in reserve.
In his report for the year ended March 31, Alnwick Garden Trust chairman Jonathan Blackie said: “Following Government guidance we were able to reopen the garden in early July we have seen the number of visitors growth of 400 a day to over 2,200 visitors a day.
“We have adapted the garden to the various social distancing criteria that are now in force, and it is very encouraging to see so many people return after such a difficult period. I hope that the garden is able to play a part in our efforts to recover from the virus.”
During the financial year the garden brought in 340,000 visitors and sold 10,000 tickets for its Christmas Light Trail. It also attracted £15m to build a major extension, the Lilidorei play village.
Income from admissions rose slightly from £2.545m in 2019 to £2.558m, and revenue overall reduced from £5.01m to £3.88m, predominantly as a result of all catering now being provided by Searcy’s, famed in London for its luxury venues, including St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar and the restaurant and bar at the top of the Gherkin skyscraper.
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Previous years had brought in around £1.3m in catering sales.
The trust had total incoming resources of £6,268,701, a significant increase on the previous years £5,179,929. Total resources expended were £5,312,615 down on 2019’s £6,251,492.
It also had net incoming resources for the year of £956,086. However its said this result is distorted by a credit of £2.2m relating to the discounted loan from Northumberland Estates which has been renegotiated during the year.
Looking ahead, CEO Mark Brassell said the firm’s plans for the £15m Lilodorei play area will play a pivotal part in its future.
He said: “The 2019/20 financial year was an exceptionally busy one for The Alnwick Garden Trust.
“From a commercial perspective we had our busiest April on record followed by excellent results for our Halloween and Christmas events, then of course near the end of the year we had the negative influence of the COVID pandemic.
“The commercial success allowed us to invest more than ever before into our award-winning community programmes delivering social impacts on a scale we could not have imagined a few years ago.
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“Finally, securing the funding for Lilidorei was the cherry on top. This exciting new visitor attraction will transform the local visitor economy at a time when the region really needs it in a post pandemic environment.”
His comments were echoed in the accounts by Mr Blackie, who added: “Despite the considerable strain the Covid-19 pandemic has placed on the tourism industry, the trustees are comfortable with the financial position of the garden.
“The garden has rebounded well and is capitalising on its position as a safe outdoor venue. In addition, the company has arranged a simple CBILS loan in the amount of £500,000 in order to cover any unforeseen contingencies. The proceeds of this loan are held as a cash reserve and it is not intended to utilise this reserve.”