Castlewellan Historic Demesne Gains 10 White Badge Accredited Tour Guides

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has celebrated the award of White Badges to 10 new tour guides specialising in Castlewellan Historic Demesne.

The newly appointed White Badge guides are a mixture of passionate staff members from the gardening and park teams as well as volunteers, all of whom have a strong desire to promote the forest park and share their love of the site with visitors. Getting to work right away, they will be leading guided walking tours through the park and wider arboretum on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer months.

The White Badge tour guiding qualification is accredited by the Institute of Tourist Guiding in London, via the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association (NITGA).

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Deputy Chairperson, Councillor David Lee-Surginor, said, “It was delightful to have the opportunity to meet such enthusiastic individuals and celebrate the hard work they put towards attaining their qualification. I would like to thank the National Lottery Heritage Fund for providing funding towards the guide training programme, as part of the Re-Rooting Our Past in the Future project.”

Catherine Burns, NITGA Chairperson, said, “The White Badge is a symbol of high-quality tour guides and recognises them as experts on the history, heritage and biodiversity of Castlewellan Historic Demense, particularly the internationally renowned Annesley Walled Garden. We are proud to have been able to work with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to develop a training programme which worked for such a heritage rich site.”

Bookings for the guided walking tours through the park and wider arboretum on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer months can only be made on the day on a first come first served basis. Once the restoration of the walled garden is completed guided walking tours, showcasing the amazing trees and period features of the walled garden, will commence.