Summer Starts Here!

By Colin Sweeney, Chief Executive

Much of the news has moved on from the election and the debate thereafter on the new Coalition Government to the impending World Cup in South Africa. Hopefully a good run from England will distract us from the worries and uncertainties ahead that the so-called ‘Age of Austerity’ conjures up in our minds.

As well as the World Cup, I also hope that people will chose to visit Weston as we open the House, Park and Gardens this weekend for the summer. The Gardens, as ever have been beautifully prepared by our gardening team, and the Park looks stunning, having really benefited from the landscaping work that we have been carrying out over the last few years.

The farm shop is stocked full of seasonal produce including Asparagus from nearby Bridgnorth and we are also delighted to welcome new supplier ‘Once Upon a Tree’ from Herefordshire and their range of Ciders and Perry. Sally Booth from Once Upon a Tree will be on hand in the Granary Farm Shop on Saturday 29th offering samples to visitors.

Our latest exhibition in the Granary Art Gallery is a joint show of landscapes and botanical art by Mary Kenyon Slaney and Faine Meynell which starts on Tuesday 1st June.

The Granary Grill, Bar and Restaurant is three weeks old now and is a source of great joy for us all, we are so pleased with the feel and style of the operation and it looks like our customers feel the same as we have had so much great feedback on the food and service since we opened on the 1st May.

This Whit Bank Holiday sees the arrival of the National Caravan Club Rally and we are expecting some 2,700 caravans to arrive at Weston this weekend. We last hosted the National Rally in 2002 and are looking forward to welcoming them back. I am so impressed with their professionalism as this event is organised by club members for club members, and in the main is put together by a team of volunteers.

They have laid out the site with individual water and electric hook-ups for the majority of caravans and are laying on some great entertainment over their four day stay with the likes of the Bootleg Beatles playing on two nights. The opening ceremony will feature the “The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas” which will be a wonderful start to the weekend’s events. My only trepidation is that I have been asked to open the Rally on Saturday – standing up in front of several thousand people is not my forte!

So . . . . I have 48 hours to come up with a cunning plan!