Dobbies Carlisle due to open in July

Carlisle's new £8 million Dobbies garden centre is on target to open on July 22.

The company says that construction work is proceeding well on the 48,000sq ft Garden World at Orton Grange, off the A595 south west of the city.

More than 1,000 people attended a recruitment fair in March to fill 120 jobs there.

General manager Peter Falder said: “We met many candidates who have the skills and experience to be part of our state-of-the-art Garden World – our first garden centre in Cumbria.

“All our staff have been recruited and are undergoing training ahead of our opening in July.”

The store will offer more than 10,000 plants, shrubs and trees, a farm-park visitor attraction, a food hall selling local produce, and a cafe/restaurant.

It is being built from sustainably-sourced timber and other natural materials, and will include environmentally-friendly features such as energy-efficient lighting and rainwater recycling. Dobbies, which is owned by Tesco, is planning an opening ceremony and a weekend of family entertainment for July 22-24. Details will be announced nearer the time.

The company has also unveiled a £5,450 Here We Grow bursary, a campaign that offers free equipment, support and expertise to community organisations.

Dobbies wants to hear from groups, projects, schools and charities that need help.

Hayley Berry, Dobbies’ community champion at Carlisle said: “We’ve launched Here We Grow to help local communities develop gardens so everyone has the chance to appreciate the wonders of green space.

“The campaign also aims to show that gardening can be a fun, inexpensive and easy way to stay healthy.

“We hope that Here We Grow will inspire more people in the Carlisle area to get growing.”

Source : Julian Whittle - News & Star
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