The Durham Tourism Superstar Award celebrates individuals who go above and beyond to ensure that every visitor to the region has warm welcome and leaves with lasting memories. This award provides the opportunity to highlight someone who has kindness and enthusiasm, which makes our region truly special.

When it comes to delivering a friendly North East welcome, there is no one quite like Jimmy. At the age of 86, Jimmy is a remarkable ambassador for the many wonderful sites, stories and history of the region. His energy, compassion and kindness leaves a lasting imprint on both tourists and locals alike, whether you are a first-time visitor or someone who has called this area home for years.

Something that sets Jimmy apart is his ability to connect with everyone. He is particularly brilliant at making Spanish-speaking guests feel at home – a small gesture which makes a big difference.

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‘Farming on the Edge’ follows Paul & Jen Johnson, Raby Estate tenants, for a year of their farm in Upper Teesdale in the North Pennines National Landscape, and explores their life farming with nature in this remarkable landscape. This powerful film highlights the value of nature-friendly farming methods and how this approach encourages wildlife to flourish.

Paul Johnson, said “I wanted to make this film to show that you can farm alongside nature and that nature and farming can compete with each other.”

Chris Woodley-Stewart, Director, North Pennines National Landscape said “We would like to thank the National Lottery Heritage Fund for supporting this work, as part of our ‘Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme. This wonderful film is an insight into the reality of farming in the North Pennines and the daily challenges farmers face in what can be a harsh place to work on the land, especially in winter. Through Tees-Swale we’re working to share farmers’ voices and show how they are at the forefront of nature recovery and Paul is a natural and authentic on camera sharing his experiences as he is in ‘real life’. The team has really enjoyed bringing him and Jen to this project, and we’ve also been lucky, to have the opportunity to commission and support an outstanding filmmaker in Matthew Wood”

Filmmaker, Matthew Wood, from the Film on the Brain, said, “It has been a pleasure to work with Paul exploring his connection with the land and the importance of traditional farming. I’ve enjoyed capturing his story through his own words and experiences and I’m so pleased that Farming on the Edge has been recognised as the best documentary at the Sunderland Short Film Festival”

This was the tenth year of the Sunderland Film Festival and over 1,000 films were submitted with 160 films being shown.

Farming on the Edge will be shown at preview screenings across the North Pennines later this year.

Website: www.northpennines.org.uk

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On Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th June, Dads can enjoy free entry into Raby Castle, one of the most impressive intact castles in the North of England, with a Park and Gardens or Plotters’ Forest ticket and an accompanying child.

Fun for the whole family is in store during an action-packed day out at the County Durham lifestyle destination, including the chance to step inside the 14th century castle and join a complimentary guided tour in the afternoon or explore at your own leisure to learn all about the history, legends and secrets of Raby Castle.

Sophie Brown, sales and events manager at Raby Estates said: “We want Raby Castle, Park and Gardens to be a place where families can create cherished memories together. We hope that Dads and father figures who join us here this Father’s Day can enjoy some precious time with their loved ones and find a little sanctuary surrounded by nature and history.”

The Plotters’ Forest woodland adventure playground will be open so explorers can enjoy unbridled, adrenaline-fueled fun and let their imaginations run wild. Scale the high walkways and towers, get lost amongst exhilarating views throughout the Christmas tree plantation, tackle ground-level forest trails and race to the top before slipping down the slide.

Raby’s tractor and trailer rides will also be running throughout the weekend, giving everyone a chance to pause and take in the breathtaking views of the 14^th century castle and the stunning surrounding landscape.

Herds of Red and Fallow Deer can be spotted across the Deer Park too and deer feeding will be taking place during the Father’s Day celebrations.

After working up an appetite, families can treat themselves to lunch at The Vinery Café, which offers panoramic views of the High Vinery Garden and the Castle, serving homemade dishes and treats inspired or sourced from the beautiful Raby Estate.

Raby will also be hosting a barbeque especially for Dad’s on Father’s Day weekend, serving locally sourced produce, including longhorn beef from the estate.

Last minute Father’s Day gift-giving opportunities lie in the Coach House, a stunning retail and exhibition space which opened last year within Raby’s leading lifestyle destination. Artisan crafts, homeware and local produce can all be found inside the thoughtfully curated retail space.

To get the best ticket price, it is highly recommended to pre-book online. Tickets to The Plotters’ Forest, Deer Park and Gardens are £14 for adults, £11 for children (ages 4-15) or £50 for a family ticket (two adults and three children). Under fours go free and children also go free into Raby Castle with a valid Plotters’ Forest, Park & Gardens Ticket.

For more information about Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, Father’s Day celebrations and to book tickets please visit: www.raby.co.uk/events/dads-go-free-this-fathers-day/

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Children with a valid Plotters’ Forest, Park and Gardens ticket can step inside the medieval fortress for free during the school holidays from Saturday 24^th May to Sunday 1^st June.

A complimentary Family Explorer Guided Tour and Castle Quest Trail will also be available to take youngsters on an adventure through the historic walls.

Julie Biddlecombe-Brown, curator at Raby Castle said: “With so many fascinating stories and incredible people that have all played a part in Raby’s legacy, we want to share our history with the next generation and provide children who are visiting Raby Castle, whether it’s for the first time or even the tenth time, with an unforgettable experience at no extra cost. Soaking up the pivotal historic events, learning about key figures who called Raby Castle their home and exploring the grand rooms inside the medieval fortress all await families during the May half term.

“We hope offering free entry to the castle keeps this as accessible as possible and we can’t wait to see children become inspired by Raby’s story. And it’s not just the castle that is offering added value during the May half term – there are lots of daily activities taking place throughout the castle grounds that are included in the admission price to provide our visitors with so much extra to enjoy during their time with us.”

Outside the Castle walls, families can discover a selection of activities with nature at their heart, all provided as complimentary experiences for an exciting day out. The Little Gardeners’ Trail in The Plotters’ Forest woodland adventure playground will get youngsters off screens and looking skyward with horticultural clues hidden around the woodland.

Tractor and trailer rides will also be available throughout the long bank holiday weekend alongside the 31^st May and 1^st June weekend, taking the young and young-at-heart across the stunning Deer Park where they can spot the Red and Fallow Deer.

Inspiring the next generation, there will be a complimentary children’s seed planting station for that added extra to take home and watch grow it grow as spring turns to summer, whilst another trail hidden in the restored 300-year-old Walled Gardens will have families bird spotting and learning all about bees.

Local singer Charley Penman will also be performing live in the Walled Gardens’ Amphitheatre with a special one-hour set at 1pm on both Saturday 24th May and Monday 26th May, providing visitors with a chance to sit back and marvel at the views of the Castle whilst enjoying Charley’s stunning acoustic vocals.

Children with separate pre-purchased tickets can also join the Victorian workforce this May half term in an exciting behind-the-scenes experience. On selected dates, children and adults step back in time on a fascinating journey and discover what it took to keep Raby Castle running in a series of hour-long experiences, guided by the butler.

Whilst families are at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, they can relax and enjoy delicious food and drink at The Vinery Cafe, whilst soaking up the panoramic views of Raby Castle or visit the new Garage Café, located just outside the Walled Gardens’ entrance, and choose from its ten flavours of ice-cream produced by Yorkshire-based Brymor Dairy.

Take a moment to visit the Coach House and peruse the curated selection of homeware and gifts displayed on reclaimed furniture from across the estate in Raby’s beautiful retail space.

The theme of nature continues over at Raby Estates’ High Force Waterfall, just a 30-minute drive from Raby Castle. New for the May half term, the Butterfly Quest is a fun and interactive way to explore nature and enjoy the beauty of High Force, as families help Clover the caterpillar on her journey to become a butterfly and achieve her dream of flying.

Trail sheets can be collected at the Visitor Centre, helping youngsters tick off all eight of Clover’s friends that are waiting to be found on this new adventure.

To get the best ticket price, it is highly recommended to pre-book online. Tickets to The Plotters’ Forest, Deer Park and Gardens are £14 for adults, £11 for children (ages 4-15) or £50 for a family ticket (two adults and three children). Under fours go free. Children with a valid Plotters’ Forest, Deer Park and Gardens ticket will get free entry into Raby Castle during their visit.

Tickets to the Victorian Workforce experience are £12.50 for adults and £10.50 for children and will need to be purchased online in advance. Two dates are available, Thursday 29^th and Saturday 31^st May: www.raby.co.uk/events/victorian-workforce-activity/

Tickets to High Force Waterfall can also be purchased on site or online. Admission is £3.95 for adults, £2.45 for children (aged 4-15) and under fours are free.

For more information about Raby Castle, Park and Gardens and High Force Waterfall, please visit: www.raby.co.uk

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The Treasure Houses is a collection of ten important houses across the country dedicated to bringing their history and collections to a wider audience and Raby Castle is now the eleventh member.

Lord Barnard, owner of Raby Castle said: “The castle has a long history – these walls have seen the plotting of the Rising of the North, a Parliamentary stronghold in the Civil War and as the birthplace to the mother of Richard III and Edward IV.

“It is the centre of the largely intact ducal estate of the former Dukes of Cleveland, who built up a significant collection of works of art. My wife and I are determined to make that collection even more accessible.

“It is a tremendous privilege that our family home is now part of the Treasure Houses of England and we look forward to working with and learning from the other ten forward-looking owners and their teams.”

After inheriting Raby in 2016, Lord and Lady Barnard have been committed to opening up Raby more widely and welcoming both local, national and international visitors following a three-year development and restoration programme in which several historic buildings were returned to their former glory. The 18th century Walled Gardens were also remodelled by renowned garden and landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei with Lady Barnard.

Regarding the Treasure Houses of England invitation, Lady Barnard said: “I’m immensely proud that we are standing side by side with such notable houses and collections. My husband’s forebears assembled a wonderful collection within the castle and deeply loved the surrounding countryside. I think it is a worthy feather in the cap for the North East of England.”

Victoria Howard, custodian of Castle Howard and chair of the Treasure Houses Group said: “The Treasure Houses work closely together to benchmark and share best practice as visitor attractions and custodians of natural and built heritage. The properties cover the length and breadth of Britain and we are delighted that Raby has joined this group, following their significant recent developments and investment in their offer to visitors.”

Raby Castle re-opened to the public on Saturday 1st March following its annual winter maintenance and conservation programme to showcase its collection to visitors for the 2025 season and is now welcoming visitors seven days a week for the first time in its history.

Guided tours are available for visitors to gain expert insight into the Medieval, Regency and Victorian interiors alongside Raby’s extensive collection of art, textiles and furniture which dates from the 17th to the 21st century.

Raby Castle, its Deer Park which is home to red and fallow deer and the 18th century Walled Gardens are currently open daily. Raby also hosts a wide variety of seasonal events and workshops throughout the year.

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One third of us will be touched by cancer in our lifetime. The Institute of Cancer Research https://www.icr.ac.uk/ is a charitable academic working body with over 300 scientists and has taken more drugs into clinical trials in the last decade than any other organisation worldwide.  We are therefore proud to be supporting such a worthy cause once again this year.

This annual event involves teams from businesses located across the north of England ascending Lakeland’s highest mountains in early winter conditions.

The event has raised more than £1.8 million for the Institute and other charities over the past 36 years. This year’s event takes place on Friday 15^th November and with your help we would like to make this another record-breaking year. Each team will be allocated a mountain route for the day and Raby has been allocated the Buttermere fells to the west of Keswick.

If you would like to help them raise much needed funds for The Institute of Cancer Research, please see our Just Giving link

https://www.justgiving.com/page/rabyestates2024

19.11.24

Many thanks indeed to all our supporters for your generous support for this year’s ICR Climb of Life Appeal. 17 climbers and assorted dogs made up the Raby team having been assigned the fells around Buttermere as our challenge this year.

Unfortunately, weather conditions weren’t quite as favourable as last year, and Friday 15^th November dawned to low cloud and persistent drizzle.  This did not dampen our spirits and after gathering in Buttermere village, the team moved off to ascend Red Pike, Buttermere and then onto High Stile and High Crag before our descent back to Buttermere Lake and the village. There were some glimpses of sunshine towards the end of the day but mostly the weather continued as it had started, and we were all rather bedraggled by the time we returned to the cars in the late afternoon.

This year’s event raised just over £91,000 overall for ICR and I am pleased to confirm that we made one of the largest single team contributions of just over £5,000.

This year’s grand total means that this annual event has now raised over £1.80 million during the 35 years that it has been taking place with over £1.1 million raised for the Institute of Cancer Research during that period.  This, of course would not have been possible without your generous support.  All of us at Raby are therefore enormously grateful to you. Many thanks once again for your support and your donation.

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If you are interested in our apprenticeship programme please contact careers@raby.co.uk or call 01833 660888

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Alan McKerchar, general manager at Raby Castle said: “I am immensely proud of our incredible team and their unwavering dedication each and every day to create a memorable experience for all of our visitors to Raby Castle. Our heartfelt thanks go to our people here at Raby – you all work tremendously hard and your enthusiasm and commitment doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Securing a nomination for the VisitEngland ‘Welcome’ Accolade was an achievement in itself, but to have now been awarded the prestigious accolade is a fantastic achievement for the team.

“2024 is going to be a significant year for us with the opening of The Rising in the spring – a visionary collective of heritage buildings brought to life and two thoughtful new constructions, offering retail, hospitality and event spaces which will make Raby an iconic destination in the area. We all feel we can now move forward with the final stages of the scheme with immense pride as recipients of this fantastic accolade.”

22nd August 2023

Raby Castle has been nominated for the prestigious VisitEngland ‘Welcome’ Accolade after our staff scored 100% in a recent assessment.

Staff across visitor services, catering and retail as well as tour guides and volunteers within the castle were awarded marks out of five for customer care, efficiency and knowledge during an annual VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme assessment.

The team achieved the highest possible score and were praised for their excellent levels of customer service, their professional and warm approach, as well as overall appearance.

VisitEngland’s Accolades are designed to celebrate excellence within the visitor attraction sector and showcase those businesses that go the extra mile to provide a high-quality day out.

Alan McKerchar, the general manager here at Raby Castle said: “Our people are what makes a visit to Raby such a special experience. They are everything to us and I’d like to say a huge thank you to them all for achieving such an incredible result and securing this nomination. To be awarded 100% is no mean feat and is a testament to their hard work, enthusiasm and commitment to providing our visitors such a memorable experience.”

Raby Castle has also retained the VisitEngland accreditation of a quality attraction with a score of 92% – an increase on our previous score, demonstrating the ongoing commitment to continually enhance your visitor experience.

“To have improved our overall score whilst some of the attraction is in temporary facilities during the significant development we are currently undertaking, is something to be really proud of.

“If we can achieve such a great result at this time, I can’t wait to see Raby’s score when The Rising is complete, when we hope to attract new visitors to the area and create outstanding recreation for the local community,” added Alan.

Introduced in 2014, the accolades are available to VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme participants across a wide range of tourism experiences in England from museums and galleries, farm attractions, historic houses and gardens to churches, cathedrals and country parks.

Winners of the ‘Welcome’ Visitor Attraction Accolade will be announced later in the year.

Raby Membership

With so many exciting adventures to be had at Raby Estate this season, a Raby membership is the best way to enjoy access to everything and anything Raby Estate has to offer**. The Raby membership begins from £15 per year for children from 4 to 12-years-old, £28 per adult, £25.00 per concession, with family passes starting at £80 (2 adults + 3 children), with benefits including admission to Raby Castle, the Deer Park and High Force Waterfall and 10% off at the Yurt Café, Stables Shop and High Force Hotel, in addition to access to the East Garden. A Plotters’ Forest adventure playground extension is available.

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One-third of us will be touched by cancer in our lifetime. The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is an academic working body based at the Royal Marsden Hospital. ICR employs over 300 scientists and has taken more drugs into clinical trials in the last decade than any other organisation worldwide.  We are therefore proud to be supporting such a worthy cause again this year.

This annual event involves teams from businesses located across the north of England ascending Lakeland’s highest mountains in early winter conditions. The event has raised more than £1.75 million for the Institute and other charities over the past 34 years. With your help, we would like to make this another record-breaking year.

Last year a team of 12 walkers from Raby successfully completed a trek in the fells around High Street and raised around £7000. This year the Raby Estates Team will be tackling Helvellyn, one of the most iconic and majestic peaks in the Lake District National Park of England. Standing at 950 meters above sea level, it is renowned for its breath-taking beauty and challenging hiking trails. It’ll be a long day in the hills.

If you would like to support our team with their fundraising for Climb of Life, and the motivation to complete this arduous challenge, then please go to their JustGiving page to donate.

2023 Update

Many thanks indeed for your generous support for this year’s ICR Climb of Life Appeal. 12 climbers and numerous dogs made up the Raby team having been assigned Helvellyn as our challenge this year.

We were blessed with a magical day and snow-covered fells as we made our ascent from Glenridding at the southern end of Ullswater. On reaching Red Tarn we rested and contemplated the final climb onto the summit via a snow covered Swirrel Edge. There were a few hairy moments as dogs of various sizes were cajoled over the more exposed parts of the ridge. Thankfully, we reached the summit unscathed with the team and assorted canines intact to enjoy some magnificent views in the early winter sunshine.

This year’s event raised just over £71,000 overall for ICR and I am pleased to confirm that we made one of the largest single team contributions of £6,000.

This year’s grand total means that this annual event has now raised over £1.70 million during the 34 years that it has been taking place with over £1 million raised for Institute of Cancer Research during that period.  This of course would not have been possible without your generous support.  All of us at Raby are therefore enormously grateful to you. Many thanks once again for your support and your donation.

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For the past five years Karl, has been responsible for a team who maintains and refurbishes properties across the Estate. The 41-year-old decided to return to Darlington College one day a week for two years and has just secured distinctions across the board in HNC building studies.

“When I was at school, I never thought I would ever be this well qualified, I thought I would just be a joiner all my life,” said Karl

“I was so pleased to be awarded distinctions across the board and do feel proud of myself. It has given me a massive sense of achievement and I would highly recommend life-long learning. I’m already taking everything I have learned back to my job on the estate. I’ve just started a Level 6 qualification in site management and hopes to do my Level 7 in site management soon after.”

“I didn’t want to stagnate and was keen to better myself so decided to go back to college. The construction trade is fast-moving at the moment, and I was keen to understand new techniques – you have to keep up with the times. I’m now pushing my staff to undergo extra training themselves.”

Karl originally wanted to be a joiner like his grandfather and after serving his apprenticeship in bench hand joinery he worked for a leading conservatory company during which time he travelled across the UK and Europe.

“I later spotted a position with Raby Estates as a maintenance manager and I absolutely love looking after and refurbishing its Residential Properties and Farms portfolio, some of which have been empty for decades and restoring the iconic buildings for future use. We are bringing them back to life in areas of outstanding natural beauty, which is very rewarding, while ensuring the estate retains a traditional look that is in keeping with the location.”

Karl has just overseen the complete refurbishment of grade 2* Hilton Hall making it habitable for modern day living. It started life as a medieval chapel of St Catherine’s Chantry to Staindrop Church, and has been extended over the 17th and 18th century.

“With properties, it is all about making them compliant, while reflecting their age and status,” he said. “We have to make them energy efficient, sustainable, which requires insulation, rewiring and replumbing, while protecting them as well and we have a great relationship with the council and conservation officers.”

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