Tourism Award

Batsford Arboretum wins Silver in 2012 Tourist Attraction of the Year Awards. Batsford  is officially one of the best visitor attractions in the Cotswolds, having just been awarded silver in the 'Best Visitor Attraction of the Year' category in the Cotswolds Tourism Awards 2012.

"We are delighted to receive this award", said, Batsford Foundation Trustee Tony Russell, "it shows that all the hard work we have put into Batsford over the past two years is now paying off".

Since 2010 Batsford has

- Increased the size of the Arboretum by 10%, creating a further five acres of landscaped grounds for visitors to enjoy and planted hundreds of new ornamental trees and shrubs.
- Constructed a £2 million visitor centre, which includes a high class café/restaurant, garden centre, gift shop, terrace viewpoint and new exhibitions.
- Dramatically improved visitor services, such as access, car parks, footpaths and toilets.
- Improved disability access to the Arboretum by making all-terrain mobility scooters readily available to visitors.
All this resulted in Batsford Arboretum becoming one of the few visitor attractions in the UK which saw visitor numbers actually increase in 2011.

Chris Dee, Tourism Manager at Gloucestershire First commented; "Cotswolds Tourism, which is a partnership between local authorities and over 300 tourism businesses in the region, thrives on the high quality of local tourism businesses and services. These awards reward our achievers - like Batsford Arboretum - and help us to highlight the best of what the Cotswolds has to offer"