WAKEHURST’S fifth Glow Wild – the iconic winter lantern trail that sees the Mansion, botanic garden and woodlands come alive with lanterns and fire installations - is underway.

Volunteers have been working hard since the beginning of the summer making lanterns in the Mansion attic.

This week Kari Winter, Ranger and creative lead for Glow Wild, unearthed hundreds of lanterns which have been stored in outbuildings since last Christmas.

Kari said: “We’re checking the lanterns over, one by one, as we always try and reuse a proportion from the year before.

“Our team of volunteers will be cleaning each one with warm soapy water and repairing any small tears, so they will look their best out in the grounds.

“It feels strange organising the lanterns in this extreme heat – it’s hard to think of them sitting outside in cold winter temperatures.”

On Monday Friends of Wakehurst/Kew got first dibs at purchasing tickets - with an incredible 3,333 tickets being sold on the first day - 13.8 per cent increase on last year.

Booking is now open for the general publicat www.kew.org/Wakehurst or call 0115 8960220.

Glow Wild will run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 22 November – 16 December, and visitors will be able to choose from eight half hourly time slots between 4.30pm – 8pm.

This year’s trail will be full of surprises – an avenue of oaks housing glowing native owls will welcome you.

Giant willow figures will arise from the shadowy waters of the Mansion Pond and the new Winter Garden will be brought alive with torches of fire.