Popular snowdrop walks at Deene Park, near Corby, cancelled

An annual celebration of the first spring flowers has been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic and Covid restrictions.

Deene Park, near Corby, has hosted its popular snowdrop walks to allow visitors to stroll and admire the stunning collection of early flowering bulbs.

Organisers had hoped that they might be able to welcome guests into the grounds of the country seat of the Brudenell family but lockdown has thwarted their plans.

The south-facing formal gardens surrounding the Tudor and Georgian mansion are surrounded by acres of wild snowdrops.

A spokesman for Deene Park said: "Due to the current lockdown and government restrictions, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our February snowdrop walks.

"This decision has not been made lightly, however our main priority is ensuring the safety of both our staff and visitors."

To give guests a snowdrop experience, a video tour of the gardens has been planned to be shared on the estate's social media channels, when the snowdrops are at their best.

The spokesman added: "We hope to open for the summer season and are working hard to ensure that this can be done in a safe way, protecting our visitors, staff and the family who call Deene Park home.

"We greatly appreciate the continued support from our followers and look forward to welcoming visitors back to Deene Park as soon as we can."