Walkers brave the rain as Attingham Park reopens
Walkers flocked in their hundreds to a beauty spot as it opened up for the first time since lockdown.
Despite the rain, cars were queuing outside Attingham Park at 9am this morning as families and their dogs went to explore its vast grounds.
A total of 800 tickets were quickly snapped up by people, who were able to walk around the grounds and the walled garden area.
Other areas are currently shut off to the public as staff restart things gradually to ensure people can safely socially distance. More people will be allowed in the park as the weeks go by and more part will open up.
Mark Agnew, general manager, said: "We made 800 tickets available for today and they all went. We're hoping to build it up so we're having 1,200 a day next week.
"There were queues at the gates first thing in the morning. We're going to have to open the gates a bit earlier tomorrow.
"We have a loyal local audience coming from Shrewsbury and Telford. It was good to see lots of familiar faces and familiar dogs.
"The weather's been a bit wet but people are hardy and they've been coming for walks. We've seen quite a lot of older visitors who might not have been out for a long time.
"Next week we're going to open our cafe for takeaways. We're trying to do things gradually and sensibly to make sure it's safe for everyone and they can just come and have a relaxing walk, without worrying about anything."
Many National Trust properties sold out their tickets on their first day back, but the coronavirus pandemic has been hugely damaging to the charity's finances.
Mark added: "We've lost a lot of money. Most of our staff have been furloughed and we've had to cancel all of our restoration projects this year. The trust as a whole has lost £200m.
"It's a real concern. The main thing that will help us is for people to stay members. Stick with us, even if you can't visit. That money is keeping us alive so we're still here. We have to say a big thank you to our members who have stuck with us through this.
"We'll probably be very short of money for a long time but we'll survive."
