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Johnsons Nurseries Supplies Plants For Rockliffe‘s Multimillion-Pound Transformation



One of the UK’s largest plant nurseries, Johnsons Nurseries Ltd, has continued its long-standing relationship with the five-star luxury resort, Rockliffe, supplying more than 17,000 plants and trees for its newly landscaped grounds as part of its multimillion-pound transformation.


Set within 375 acres of historic parkland near Darlington, Rockliffe has undergone an extensive transformation, including the restoration of its Grade II-listed Old Hall, enhanced accommodation, new dining experiences, and the creation of a standalone restaurant pavilion named Atlas.


The ambitious project has seen the resort's gardens and outdoor spaces transformed to complement the renovated and new buildings, creating an attractive and welcoming environment for guests.


The landscape and planting scheme was designed by Colour Landscape Architects, while Johnsons Nurseries supplied an extensive selection of shrubs, trees, instant hedging, ornamental grasses, flowering perennials and topiary, creating year-round interest throughout the newly landscaped grounds.


Among the varieties supplied were mature Scots pines, multi-stem Amelanchier lamarckii and Magnolia trees, alongside instant Carpinus betulus hedging and ornamental Taxus baccata topiary. The planting scheme also features an extensive mix of flowering perennials and ornamental grasses, including Anemone 'Honorine Jobert', Geranium 'Rozanne', Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm', Calamagrostis and Deschampsia, providing seasonal colour, texture and movement throughout the gardens.


The landscaping was carried out in-house by Rockliffe’s Estates team, led by Head of Engineering & Estates Phil Mennell.


Despite one of the hottest and driest summers, the team worked tirelessly to establish thousands of plants and trees, extensive hedging and new lawn areas, overcoming challenging conditions and tight deadlines to complete the grounds ahead of the resort's reopening.


Group Managing Director at Johnsons Nurseries, Graham Richardson, said:

"We're incredibly proud to have supplied the plants for Rockliffe’s newly transformed gardens as part of this prestigious development."

"From the restoration of the historic walled garden to this latest transformation, it's rewarding to see how the grounds have evolved. The finished gardens look fantastic, and we're delighted to have played a part in creating outdoor spaces that guests can enjoy for years to come."


Phil Mennell, Head of Engineering & Estates at Rockliffe, added:

"This has been one of the most ambitious landscaping projects we've undertaken at Rockliffe, and I'm incredibly proud of what our Estates team has achieved. Working closely with Johnsons Nurseries has been invaluable, ensuring we had the quality and variety of plants needed to bring the designs to life."

"It's been fantastic to see the gardens transform, and I'm looking forward to watching them establish and mature for our guests to enjoy for many years to come."


Emma Fletcher, Director at Colour Landscape Architects, said:

 “Johnsons have been a great support on the delivery of the new gardens at Rockliffe, assisting us on species choices and availability from early design stages and providing flexibility in deliveries to align with the challenging project programme."

"We are delighted that the completed gardens have been so well received, and a large part of that is the impact that the planting beds and stock have had.”


The completed gardens complement the resort's historic parkland setting, enhancing the guest experience and marking another chapter in Johnsons' long-standing relationship with Rockliffe, which reopened at the beginning of September.


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Yvette Cooper (left) with Sam Wright (middle) and Steve Harrison (right)


Secretary of State for the Home Department and Member of Parliament (MP) for Pontefract, Castleford, Knottingley and Altofts, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper, visited Castleford College last week to see the progress of its brand-new construction facilities.


Principal and Chief Executive, Sam Wright and Local College Director, Steve Harrison, provided the Home Secretary with a tour of the development, which aims to provide a large space for students from a range of construction disciplines to enhance their learning using new innovative technologies.


The development is an expansion of the College’s existing construction facilities that feature state-of-the-art brickwork, carpentry and electrical workshops, which Yvette also visited.


The Home Secretary spoke to learners about their experience at the College and how their qualifications are preparing them for a range of careers in construction.


The Home Secretary meeting with learners on the College’s Electrical Installation programme


Yvette Cooper said:

“Castleford College’s new building dedicated to training and apprenticeships is a great opportunity for local young people. The College is becoming a real centre for excellence for construction skills at a time when we need more young people starting apprenticeships. It’s great to see the college going from strength to strength and supporting good quality local jobs.”

During her tour, the Home Secretary also stopped by the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’s Curriculum Stakeholder Event which invites local and national employers and partners to help shape the Group’s curriculum strategy.


Fruitful discussions were had with employers such as Ardagh Group, Crompton Controls, His Majesty’s Prison Service and more, about how the Group can align its curriculum with industry demands - helping to meet local, regional and national skills needs.


Sam Wright said:

“Developing an education offer which is responsive to the skills needs of our region is incredibly important to us at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group. That is why we regularly engage with external stakeholders to help shape our curriculum and continuously invest in our facilities to create realistic and immersive learning environments for our students. It was a pleasure to be able to demonstrate this to the Home Secretary and to further discuss how the College can support skills development in our district.”

With strong ties to the College, Yvette officiated the launch of Castleford College in November 2022 after it was granted official College status in March earlier that year, following the formation of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group.

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