Bench Sponsorship
Bench sponsorship at Westonbirt Arboretum is a special way to commemorate loved ones and special occasions. What greater way to celebrate years of memory-making at Westonbirt?
Each hand-crafted Oak bench comes with a brass plaque for your own personalised message. Bench sponsorship costs £2,200 and lasts for a period of 10 years.
Please see our available benches for sponsorship below and if you'd like to sponsor one of our available benches please contact us at donations@fowa.org.uk:
Bench Sponsorship
Each hand-crafted Oak bench comes with a brass plaque for your own personalised message. Bench sponsorship costs £2,200 and lasts for a period of 10 years.
Please see our available benches for sponsorship below and if you'd like to sponsor one of our available benches please contact us at donations@fowa.org.uk:
Old Arboretum
Bench 69
This bench is located near the end of Loop Walk before it meets Mitchell Drive. Nestled on the grassy path it’s the perfect spot for quiet contemplation. Look up and be awed by the towering trio of Scots Pine and listen to the birds chattering away. A great spot for a breather on the final stretch of your journey through the Old Arboretum.
Map reference: E27
Bench 127
Located between the well-traversed Main Drive and Specimen Avenue in the Old Arboretum, this bench provides a much-needed reprieve on your journey. An excellent spot to access the famous Autumn colours of Acer Glade. In Summer, the surrounding trees envelop you in a leafy embrace and dappled shade. Your eye can’t help but be drawn to the tall canopy of Scots Pine, Hornbeam and Western Red Cedar in front of you.
Map reference: F23
Silk Wood
Bench 31
This is a unique bench in a new location, The Community Shelter - home to the Westonbirt Community Programme. By sponsoring this bench you’ll have a unique opportunity to provide much-needed seating for the groups who use this space and celebrate or remember a loved one. The Community Shelter is a serene and secluded spot, away from the hubbub of the Silk Wood thoroughfare and of course, a magnificent structure – designed and built by the community groups who use it today. This bench is perfect for somebody who would welcome the opportunity to share their bench with community participants and create an inclusive environment for this safe space.
*Please note that access to this bench may be restricted when the shelter is in use. Please ring the courtesy bell when visiting and you’ll likely be welcomed with open arms, however, under some circumstances the Community Team may not be able to accommodate your visit at that time. Please also be aware that due to the nature of the groups and the activities that take place, this bench may receive some loving adornments or decorations. However, we will do our best to keep the bench looking smart and will respect your wishes should you wish for items to be removed.
Map reference: N15
Bench 64
Set back from the main path of Waste Drive, this bench is located up a gentle grassy slope. It overlooks the Northern end of Broad Drive, a peaceful location to watch the world go by. Behind the bench, a bank of Cornus (Dogwood) provides a verdant backdrop in Spring and a vibrant, fiery display in Autumn and Winter. To the left of the bench are some young plantings of Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey Locust), combined with Cercis siliquastrum (Judas Tree) these members of the Fabaceae family have interesting bean-like seed pods on display in late summer through Autumn and beautiful flowers in Spring. This bench is guaranteed beautiful interest from the nearby trees and shrubs all year round.
Map reference: G10
Bench 102
Set on the lesser explored end of the path of Willesley Drive, this bench bypasses the busy Treetop Walkway. Here, you can sit back and catch glimpses of passers-by on the Walkway between the screen of tall trees. This is an excellent spot to catch your breath after the long incline past the Westonbirt Woodworks before entering Silk Wood. Not far from the Coppice Shelter, home to Westonbirt’s Coppicers, you may catch the comforting smell of wood smoke drifting on the breeze from the Charcoal Kiln. In Spring, this is an excellent spot to purchase your pea-sticks for the garden and see what other wares the Coppicers have on offer.
Map reference: L20
Bench 114
Located in a little glade around the corner from the end of the Treetop Walkway into Silk Wood, this is a lovely, reflective spot to be at peace with your own thoughts. The breeze rustling through the trees creates a serene backdrop, muffling the sounds of happy chatter from visitors on the Walkway. In Autumn, this private glade will be alight with reds and oranges from the Acer trees dotted amongst this space.
Map reference: L20
Frequently asked questions
Sponsored benches at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum cost £2,200. This includes a handmade Oak bench with brass plaque engraved with a message of your choice for a sponsorship period of 10 years.
Bench sponsorship lasts for 10 years. At the end of the 10-year sponsorship period the bench will be removed. We will contact you prior to the end of the sponsorship period and offer you the opportunity to renew sponsorship of the bench at the standard cost of bench sponsorship applicable at that time. This will include a new bench and plaque and a further sponsorship period of 10 years.
If we are unable to contact you, or no response is received within 1 month of the sponsorship ending, or you are no longer interested in continuing sponsorship, the bench location will become available for others to sponsor.
If we have benches available to sponsor, these can be found on our website. If you see a bench in a location you’d like, please complete the bench enquiry form and make your £2,200 donation when prompted.
We’ll contact you via email to confirm your bench and to discuss what wording you’d like on the plaque. We’ll then request a proof for you to view before placing the plaque order. You can let us know of any changes at this stage. Plaques typically take up to 2 weeks to be made and delivered once the proof has been agreed.
We’ll then be in touch to let you know when your bench is ready to visit, this will include a picture of the bench and map location.
Occasionally, we need to employ a waitlist if requests for bench sponsorship outnumber the number of benches that are available for sponsorship. Bench availability is reviewed on an annual basis and so it can take up to a year before we are able to release new bench spaces.
You can be added to our bench sponsorship waitlist by completing the bench enquiry form on the Friends’ website. We will confirm that you have been added to the waitlist and will use the email address provided to contact you should a bench become available.
From time to time, we may need to contact you with information regarding your bench such as temporary removal for maintenance. We will attempt to contact you via the most recent contact information we hold for you.
It is the responsibility of the bench sponsor to update the Friends of changes to contact information e.g. email address, phone number and postal address. We will attempt to contact you annually via email to prompt you to let us know of any changes to your contact information.
The plaque inscription message can be personalised with up to x5 lines of 23 characters (115 characters in total).
Please take care when choosing your plaque messaging, the plaque will remain on the bench throughout your 10-year sponsorship period. You will be able to review a proof before committing to ordering the plaque.
Please do not bring any personal items to surround or decorate the bench.
Yes, we provide a complimentary plaque cleaning kit at the Welcome Building should you wish to take care of your plaque. Please note we do not take responsibility for any discolouration of the bench or plaque that may naturally occur over time or when using a brass cleaner.