Birmingham Botanical Gardens celebrates Cultural Venue of the Year award win

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is celebrating after winning Cultural Venue of the Year at the City of Birmingham Business Awards 2026 (COBBA).

The COBBA awards aim to shine a spotlight on those who make a difference in their communities, recognising invaluable contributions to Birmingham’s growth, prosperity and success.

 Sara Blair-Manning, CEO of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, said: “We are delighted to have received the Cultural Venue of the Year award at this year’s City of Birmingham Business Awards.

“This recognition is a wonderful testament to the expertise, dedication and passion of our team, volunteers and supporters, who work hard to make the Gardens such an inclusive and special place.

“This award comes at an incredibly important time and demonstrates how important experiencing arts and culture in natural spaces is for people’s enjoyment, health and wellbeing and for placemaking.

“This recognition also supports our Growing Our Green Heritage restoration project, which represents the biggest transformational change in the Gardens’ near 200-year history.

“Our public programme of events and significant restoration project safeguard the Gardens glasshouses, our amazing Global Living Collection of 30,000 plants and long term future, ensuring the much-loved Birmingham landmark can thrive for generations to come.

“We are incredibly proud of the work taking place and this award provides further recognition of the Gardens’ importance to the city and its communities, both now and in the future. I would be pleased to speak to any Birmingham businesses who are interested in sponsoring elements of our award-winning programme of events.”

Established in 1832, Birmingham Botanical Gardens is an independent charity and a 15-acre historic landscape located just one mile from Birmingham city centre.

Home to more than 30,000 plants, including rare and critically endangered species, the Gardens offer visitors a unique opportunity to explore the beauty, diversity and importance of the natural world.

Visit the website to find out more about Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Pictured from left to right: Sara Blair-Manning with and Hannah Charnock from Poke Marketing