EVENTS IN 2008

We have an exciting range of events for you to enjoy during the 2008 season, so make a date in your diary now !! APRIL 20th Falconry Display and Flying Demonstrations. Our popular audience-participative event with many birds of prey on display all day, with flying at 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Normal admission charges apply. 22nd 10am-12.30pm Head Gardener´s Walk. Tour the Garden with our knowledgeable Head Gardener, learn about our magnificent plant and tree collections, hear about the projects being undertaken, and pick up helpful tips and ideas for your own garden. Cost £4 without lunch, £13 with lunch. Normal admission charges apply. Maximum of 15 persons, booking essential. MAY: 24th-1st June. Hidden Nature Week. Pick up your Hidden Nature Passport and draw a picture of the best animal or plant you see at Bodnant Garden. Find five different types of wildlife in your own garden, describe what you´ve done to discover hidden nature at home and then enter the Trust´s competition to receive a special poster and, possibly, a great prize too. JUNE: 17th 10am-12.30pm Head Gardener´s Walk. Tour the Garden with our knowledgeable Head Gardener, learn about our magnificent plant and tree collections, hear about the projects being undertaken, and pick up helpful tips and ideas for your own garden. Cost £4 without lunch, £13 with lunch. Normal admission charges apply. Maximum of 15 persons, booking essential. JULY: 10th Archery demonstrations and Have-a-go-with-a-Bow. Cost £2 for six arrows. Normal admission charges apply. 13th Falconry Display and Flying Demonstrations. Our popular audience-participative event with many birds of prey on display all day, with flying at 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Normal admission charges apply. 13th 7pm ´Opera in the Garden´. London-based The Garden Opera Company will be performing ´Don Pasquale´ by Donizetti, in English with piano and small chamber ensemble accompaniment. Bring a picnic, a bottle of bubbly, low-backed garden chairs or rugs and join us for this fantastic evening event in a superb setting. Booking is essential as ticket numbers are limited, Adult £24, Child £18. 22nd 10am-12.30pm Head Gardener´s Walk. Tour the Garden with our knowledgeable Head Gardener, learn about our magnificent plant and tree collections, hear about the projects being undertaken, and pick up helpful tips and ideas for your own garden. Cost £4 without lunch, £13 with lunch. Normal admission charges apply. Maximum of 15 persons, booking essential. 24th Archery demonstrations and Have-a-go-with-a-Bow. Cost £2 for six arrows. Normal admission charges apply. 26th and 27th Civil War re-enactment weekend. Spectacular two-day event of living history featuring authentic tented encampments, military displays and battles with musket and cannon, and historical figures to talk to about life in the mid 1600s. Normal admission charges apply. 30th 1.30pm ´Sleeping Beauty´. Join us for this open air afternoon production of the children´s favourite, which will be held in The Park. This wonderful entertainment is a sparkling show of music, fun and storytelling that will enthrall children of all ages. We would love everyone to come along in their favourite fairytale fancy dress and join in the fairytale parade during the show. Bring your own rugs or garden chairs, but no picnics or food. Normal admission charges apply. AUGUST: 6th 1:30pm´King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table´. An open air outdoor performance in The Park, for children of all ages! A legendary King of England and his brave knights face sword and sorcery as Arthur establishes the most famous Kingdom in literary history, in ´King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table´. Bring your own garden chairs or rugs, but no picnics or food. Normal Admission Charges Apply 14th Illyria present Shakespeare’s boisterous farce ´The Merry Wives of Windsor’. See the antics of Sir John Falstaff as he tries to resolve his financial difficulties by pursuing the wealthy Mrs Page and Mrs Ford, but both women recognise his intentions are not honourable and set about humiliating him in extravagant ways. He doesn´t give up though, despite being tipped into the river, dressed up as a witch and beaten with cudgels! Bring your own low-backed garden chairs or rugs and a picnic (no naked flames) and settle back to enjoy a wonderful evening performance in a stunning setting. Doors open at 6.15pm, performance at 7pm. Tickets limited so pre-booking highly recommended. Adults £10, Children (5-16 years) £8.00. 15th 3pm ´Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland´. An open air afternoon performance of this wonderful children´s classic will be staged in The Park. A favourite of children of all ages, join us for ´Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland´, complete with the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and a tea party with the most bewildering bunch of guests! We would love everyone to come along as their favourite Alice character and join in with the fancy dress parade during the interval. Bring garden chairs or rugs, but no picnics or food. Normal admission charges apply. 17th 2pm The Llandudno MG Owners Club will be staging the finish of their Snowdon Run at Bodnant Garden Car Park, with approximately 220 classic cars on view. The cars will be parked in the upper level of the car park. 19th 10-12.30 Head Gardener´s Walk. Tour the Garden with our knowledgeable Head Gardener, learn about our magnificent plant and tree collections, hear about the projects being undertaken, and pick up helpful tips and ideas for your own garden. Cost £4 without lunch, £13 with lunch. Normal admission charges apply. Maximum of 15 persons, booking essential. 20th Falconry Display and Flying Demonstrations. Our popular audience-participative event is not to be missed. Many birds of prey on display all day, with flying at 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Normal admission charges apply. 21st Archery demonstrations and Have-a-go-with-a-bow. Cost £2 for six arrows. Normal admission charges apply. 28th Archery demonstrations and Have-a-go-with-a-bow. Cost £2 for six arrows. Normal admission charges apply. SEPTEMBER: 11th ´Antiques Roadshow´. BBC One´s popular Sunday evening programme will be filmed in the Garden, doors open at 9.30am and close at 4.30pm. Along with new presenter Fiona Bruce, there will be leading antiques and fine arts specialists on hand to offer free advice and valuations, so bring along your family heirlooms, household treasures and car boot bargains for inspection by the experts. People with large pieces of furniture or other big items can send details and photographs to: Antiques Roadshow, BBC, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2LR, or e-mail them to antiques.roadshow@bbc.co.uk. The BBC may be able to arrange to look at the item in advance and organise transportation. 14th Falconry Display and Flying Demonstrations. Our popular audience-participative event is not to be missed Many birds of prey on display all day, with flying at 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Normal admission charges apply. 23rd 10-12.30 Head Gardener´s Walk. Tour the Garden with our knowledgeable Head Gardener, learn about our magnificent plant and tree collections, hear about the projects being undertaken, and pick up helpful tips and ideas for your own garden. Cost £4 without lunch, £13 with lunch. Normal admission charges apply. Maximum of 15 persons, booking essential. NOVEMBER: 2nd 10-12.30 Head Gardener´s Walk. Tour the Garden with our knowledgeable Head Gardener, learn about our magnificent plant and tree collections, hear about the projects being undertaken, and pick up helpful tips and ideas for your own garden. Cost £4 without lunch, £13 with lunch. Normal admission charges apply. Maximum of 15 persons, booking essential.

2008 CURRENT NEWS (6.5.08)

Bodnant Garden is open every day, to the 2nd November, from 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.30pm. Do visit us now to see the exciting changes to the Garden and the visitor facilities, and don´t miss our great events programme. We now produce a quarterly Newsletter to keep you up to date with happenings in the Garden. If you would like to receive a copy by e-mail or post, please contact us with your details. Currently there are wonderful displays of rhododendrons and azaleas - a sight which should not be missed and can be enjoyed throughout the month of May! The Laburnum Arch should come into full flower during the last week of May and, depending upon the weather conditions, is likely to last for about 2 weeks. This extraordinary feature of the Garden is quite simply stunning - it is a 180ft long tunnel with the beautiful golden flower racemes hanging down overhead as you walk through. Over the winter months a huge amount of work has been undertaken in the Garden, much of which you will see and enjoy - new plants, major restoration work on the Canal Terrace Stage, the curved steps, the newly-planted parterre around the small pond on the Top Lawn etc - and some you won´t see, such as new under-turf water drainage systems. The Pavilion Tea-room has undergone a major refurbishment of the counter and servery area and we hope that our visitors will find this a great improvement. Recently opened is our additional facility for light refreshments - the Magnolia Tea-room, open daily from 11am to 4pm - and located near to the Garden´s exit archway. From here will be available coffee, tea, mineral water and orange juice, and a range of cookies. Currently under construction is our new Visitor Reception building, due to be completed in May of this year. This exciting project will offer visitors a more engaging experience at the start of your visit to our stunning Garden. We look forward to welcoming you throughout the 2008 season. The adjacent Plant Centre and Art & Craft Studios (not owned or managed by Bodnant Garden)are open all year and have an exciting range of plants, garden gifts, clothing and cards, watercolour paintings, Italian clothing and gifts, and hand-made chocolates - here you are sure to find that perfect souvenir of your visit. If you have any queries or comments to make, please do contact us by telephone, e-mail or fax. Our office is manned Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

ACCESS STATEMENT

ACCESS STATEMENT BODNANT GARDEN - NATIONALTRUST We aim to ensure that all our visitors have comfortable facilities in a safe and healthy environment wherever reasonably practicable. All requests are dealt with efficiently and visitors are made to feel welcome throughout their stay. PARKING Parking is free to all visitors. Designated parking area provided for visitors with disabilities. Drop off point for cars and coaches. Tiered car park 200 yards from Bodnant Garden entrance. Gravel and tarmac surface. Steep slopes between levels. Access to the Garden from the car park is via a newly constructed ramp and underpass with a flat tarmac pathway leading to it. Benches, handrail and lighting are provided along the ramp route. THE GARDEN The Garden consists of both flat and sloped areas, some of which are steep in places with numerous steps. A map showing a suggested route avoiding steps and some of the steepest paths in the Garden is available to people with mobility issues and mothers with young children and pushchairs. The official guide book also contains this information. A suggested route to obtain most views of the Garden is also described in the official guide book. There are regular rest points (benches) around the Garden, some being sheltered, for example in the Pin Mill, Laburnum Arch and Terraces. Gravelled, grassed and historically stepped pathways lead to lower levels of the Garden. Some pathways may have exposed tree roots. Only a few steps and pathways have handrails. People are advised to wear appropriate outdoor footwear. There are a number of water features and ponds within the Garden and people should take care around them and children must be properly supervised at all times. Bridges also traverse some of these water features and must be crossed with care. TOILETS Gents, ladies and disabled toilets are at mid level of the car park up stepped or an alternative sloped access. Baby changing facilities are also available. An additional disabled toilet is available from a flat access at the exterior north gable end of the pavilion. Gents, ladies, disabled and baby changing facilities are provided in the ‘Dell’ at the lower level of the Garden next to The Old Mill. PAVILION RESTAURANT Stepped access to the front of the Pavilion. A ramped access leads into the Pavilion for Wheelchair and pushchair access from the car park area. Wide gangway access allowed for wheelchair users within the Tea-room. Seating is provided for 140 customers. There is some additional bench seating in the exterior Courtyard with a further vending point. BODNANT GARDEN PLANT CENTRE and ART & CRAFT STUDIOS (Not National Trust) Access to the Plant Centre is directly from the Garden and the underpass. A sloped paved pathway runs from the Garden to the underpass exit. Seating is provided along this route. Ample room within for wheelchairs and pushchairs to manoeuvre. SERVICES/FACILITIES A limited number of wheelchairs are available for visitor use from the Recruitment Cabin and also near the Garden Ticket Office. These are available free on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis and cannot be booked in advance. The official guide book is available at cost from the Garden Ticket Office and is also available in Braille to loan during your visit. A simple map of the Garden is available to all visitors which suggests a route avoiding steps and steep gradients. National Trust Recruiters and Bodnant Garden Volunteers are available to answer general questions from visitors. Emergency Service contact details are available from the Garden Office, Pavilion and Ticket Office. OTHER INFORMATION Dogs are not allowed (unless assistance dogs) in the Garden but can be walked on a lead in the car park area providing they are appropriately controlled. There are no public telephones within the Garden and mobile telephone coverage is poor for some networks. Additional information can be sourced through the Bodnant Garden website (www.bodnant-garden.co.uk), or via e-mail (bodnantgarden@nationaltrust.org.uk) and telephone (01492 650460) ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS UNDER CONSIDERATION A new Visitor Entrance building is also planned for completion in 2008 (work commenced 2007) Restoration of ‘The Poem’ is ongoing for improved external viewing. The possible provision of an additional refreshment area in the lower part of the Garden (‘The Dell’) will shortly be considered An audio tour guide is currently under consideration. Disability access issues are under continued review. There are plans for the Pavilion Courtyard area to be further enhanced. Access Statement Revised - January 2008

BODNANT GARDEN IS FUN FOR CHILDREN TOO

Bodnant Garden is a delight for all age groups and our younger visitors can also enjoy using our: Family Trail booklet Activity Sheets and Surveys exciting NEW themed Tracker Back-Packs There are three Packs to chose from - Artist Pack, Bugs and Plants Pack and Fairy Pack - all are fun, interesting and educational too, and will help to make your children´s visit even more enjoyable. Collect your Tracker Pack, Activity Sheets and Survey forms from the Recruitment Cabin in the car park.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS TO VISIT WHILST IN NORTH WALES

Bodnant Garden is a member of two prestigious attractions consortia in North Wales, many of whom are open throughout the year. For further information on these visit the websites www.ten-top.co.uk www.star-attractions.co.uk

WEDDINGS AT BODNANT GARDEN

Bodnant Garden is licensed for Civil Ceremonies and happy couples can make their vows in the delightful Pin Mill on the Canal Terrace, surrounded by the beauty of the Garden. Further details can be obtained by contacting Ann Smith on Tel: 01492 650460 or e-mail ann.smith@nationaltrust.org.uk