WAKEHURST in Ardingly says it has registered its best performance for visitors in the last five years.

Figures published in the latest ALVA table (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions) show the number of people attending visitor attractions across the UK.

Visitor numbers rose 18 per cent year on year in 2017, and this saw Wakehurst rise ten places in the tables.

Within this growth are higher numbers of children and families visiting, as well those joining as Friends of Wakehurst.

Tony Sweeney, Director of Wakehurst, said: “We are delighted with our figures and see this as a marker that more people are enjoying all that Wakehurst has to offer.

“We are constantly striving for excellence and have invested in new areas for our visitors to enjoy.

“Recently we have opened up Westwood Valley revealing magnificent views; increased our wild play areas for children with the installation of Tree Trunk Trek; and introduced exhibitions such as Secret Structures – inside the story of plants and fungi, to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank.

“And, a newly designed Winter Garden is in the final stages of being planted with 33,000 plants that will begin to flourish later this year.”

This comes after a disastrous time for Wakehurst.

In 2015 we reported that visitors at Wakehurst had almost halved since it introduced parking charges.

Wakehurst embarked on a new car parking policy after revealing a £1.4m to £1.6m deficit in its running cost, caused by 80 to 85 per cent of its 400,000 annual visitors being National Trust members who enter for free.

Mr Sweeney said that Wakehurst is very excited about the future and would take every opportunity it could to inspire more adults and children to come and learn about nature, science and conservation.