A RECORD-breaking number of visitors went to Croome Park, in Pershore, over the summer season.

Despite the depressingly wet summer, more than 17,000 people visited the National Trust property between March and September - 2,000 more than during the whole of last year.

Bosses have cited a packed programme of events as well as restoration of parts of the Capability Brown-designed landscape, including Temple Greenhouse, for the dramatic rise in numbers.

A National Trust spokeswoman said television coverage on celebrity gardener Chris Beardshaw's Hidden Gardens had also helped raise the profile of the park.

"Previously, Croome Park tended to be seen as somewhere that people could go for walks, but now there is much more to do," she said.

"A varied programme of events, including guided walks and children's activities, have helped to pull in the crowds and encourage them to make a return visit."

To celebrate the end of the summer season, a concert has been organised at St Mary Magdalene Church, in Croome Park, at 7.30pm on Saturday, September 25.

The Grafton singers, a chamber choir with members from Worcestershire and Birmingham, will be performing music from the 16th Century to the present day, accompanied by an organ.

Tickets cost £9 for concessions and £11 for adults in advance, and £10 for concessions and £12 for adults on the night. Prices include a glass of wine served at the interval.

To book, call 01905 371006.