Lets look at some of our highlights from this Year!
2023 has been an amazing year for us at The Land of Oak & Iron. We have loved hosting different events and meeting new customers. From January to December this year we have had a lot going on, from markets, to live music, to talks, walks and workshops.
This year has been a joy spending it with our customers, let's look at some of our statistics:
Over 19,500 Lattes, 11,900 British teas & 11,400 scones were enjoyed by our fantastic customers!
We supported over 20 local artists in our Meet the Maker events
Our Bark in the Park Dog Show saw a paw-some 49 dogs participate, plus our four-legged customers enjoyed over 4,400 doggy treats throughout the year!
We have loved hosting over 70 workshops walks & talks, even if that meant putting up our gazebos 75 times!
Finally, a heartfelt thank you goes out to the generous 9,614 donations we received to support Groundwork NE & Cumbria. Your contributions enable us to continue our impactful work for local communities and the environment!
Now, let's look back at some of our 2023 highlights!
Wonderful Workshops, Walks & Talks
This year we have hosted many exciting workshops, repeating some of our favourites and creating some new ones, too!
We love to host all of our walks, talks and workshops for our customers, that's why this year we have had over 70! From bird walks with Michael Turner, to Glass Workshops with Northern Sky Design; our regular painting classes with Katherine Rodger, and our Ancestry with Anthea. Keep an eye out this year as we are hoping to repeat a lot of these popular workshops and activities.
We would like to say a special thank you not only to everyone who comes along to take part in our workshops but the incredible people who host them. Thank you for all your hard work!
Meet the Makers: Showcasing Local Talent and Supporting Small Businesses at the Land of Oak & Iron
We absolutely adore the Land of Oak & Iron for its unique charm, especially our shop that consistently showcases incredible products from local sellers and artists. Our commitment to supporting local businesses led us to create the Meet the Maker events, a platform designed to elevate smaller businesses.
Each Maker enjoys two weeks in the spotlight at the prime location in our shop, complete with dedicated advertising to showcase their work and identity. The culmination of this exposure is the Meet the Maker day, where participants set up stalls—either inside or outside our centre—to sell their items, creating a vibrant and supportive community for local entrepreneurs.
This year we invited some of these incredible Makers to join us at our seasonal Meet the Maker Markets. Throughout 2023 we had a Spring, Summer, Autumn & Christmas market. Each of these featured different local makers, who's products fit the season perfectly.
We can't wait to see what makers we meet this year! If you have a small business and are interested in our Meet the Maker events or shop, please get in touch for more information - landofoakandiron@groundwork.org.uk
Paws and Play: Unleashing the Fun with Our Furry Friends at the Heritage Centre
We all know how much our staff love to meet our customers; however, we love it even more when you bring along your four-legged-friend! Our Heritage Centre is very dog friendly with lots of regular doggie customers who enjoy trying treats from our dog menu!
As we know how much our customers love their dogs, we hosted some doggy events this year. We had a very busy day on the 26th August when we hosted our 'Bark in the Park' event! Despite a bit of summer rain, we were very busy for our dog show with some very waggy-tail-winners. We also had a great day on the 29th of October where we saw your best dressed dogs, in our 'Howl-O-Ween' dog costume competition!
Keep an eye out in 2024 for more events for our canine-companions!
Creative Kiddies: Crafting Memories and Exploring Trails at Our Year-Round Events
We always do our best to help keep your kids entertained throughout the holidays and over the weekends! We hosted events like Frost Fest, where you could take part in fun craft activities or even meet Santa! We also created different trails to take part in throughout the year, like our Easter Trail, Painted Pumpkin Trail and Mischievous Elf Trial.
We are always looking at different events and workshops we can put on to keep your kids entertained, especially over the holidays. Keep an eye on our social media pages and our website for upcoming events!
Why not get tickets for our Kids Watercolour Art Class?
Our Valuable Visitors & Volunteers
This year we have been visited by some amazing people, musicians and charities. We are very lucky to have some wonderful musicians that love to come and spread joy at our Heritage Centre, by volunteering to play music. Whether it is just a nice summers day in the courtyard or the king's coronation, we appreciate all the musicians that come along to play.
We also are very grateful for everyone else who pops up at our Heritage Centre, such as Scoops n Smiles and Crepe Expectations who often come along in their trailers serving our customers tasty treats and food. Plus, groups like the Time Bandits who came along on Remembrance Day, to educate and entertain our customers at the Land of Oak & Iron.
Delicious Discoveries at the Land of Oak & Iron
At the Land of Oak & Iron we host many events, workshops and walks but at the heart of it all is our Café. We are open every day of the year (except Christmas Day) serving all of our lovely customers. We love hearing your feedback on our food as we alter and add to our menu as the seasons change to give you festive favourites and summery lunches.
On some of our evening events you can get some tasty food from our specialist menu such as our Battle of the Bands Burger Menu or our upcoming Burns Night Supper menu! To take a look at the menu and what else to expect on this festive evening click the ticket link below!
As we say goodbye to 2023, we want to say thank you again to our fantastic customers. Anticipating an even more exciting year ahead, we look forward to serving you, hosting vibrant events, embracing our four-legged friends, and continuing our support for the invaluable charity, Groundwork NE & Cumbria.
Cheers to the adventures yet to come!
Land of Oak & Iron
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