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Visitors are returning to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, after over two months of closure due to the UK's coronavirus lockdown.

And it couldn't come at a better time - according to the UK's meteorological office, Wednesday (24 June) was the country's hottest day of the year so far - hitting 32.6 degrees Celsius.

STORY-LINE:

The sun is shining, and even Kew Gardens' wildlife are seeking shelter from the heat.

The 260-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site reopened to the public earlier this month - on June 1 - after over two months of closure due to the UK's coronavirus lockdown.

Now, visitors are exploring the destination's 132 hectares of landscaped gardens, glimpsing its over 50,000 living plants.

"A lot of things stopped when we closed, we rely on our visitors to fund everything that we do and without visitors on site, we've seen a drop in that," says head of visitor operations, Kim Francis.

"But our members have been renewing, even though they can't come to site, and our members have been amazing about those sorts things. And donations have come in across our website and our digital presence."

But it's not as it was before - the popular tourist destination, about 13 kilometers west of central London, has implemented several safety measures.

There are social distancing measures, reduced staffing, limited visitor numbers and online only bookings.

The site's greenhouses and indoor cafes and restaurants are still closed, they're not expected to reopen till July 4.

"We pre-booked out every weekend within about two days, particularly from our members that were desperate to come back. And demand sees us selling out every day, almost," says Francis.

"And that's with us increasing capacity safely and knowing that the gardens can take it. So yeah, it just keeps going up, which is great."

And it couldn't come at a better time - according to the UK's meteorological office (Met Office), Wednesday (24 June) was the country's hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 32.6 degrees Celsius at nearby Heathrow Airport. Thursday (25 June) is expected to be even hotter.

Cafes and restaurants aren't open yet, but the site's ice cream vans are doing good business, says Francis.

"Everybody loves an ice cream, so we are opening our ice cream stores all over the site," he says.

"And our catering team are doing an amazing job on that. And there's nothing better than walking down somewhere like this with an ice cream in your hand."

Gardens supervisor Tom Free was one of just a few gardeners that remained working at the site through the lockdown, after it was forced to close on 22 March.

He says it was a tough job without most of their staff and the site's around 800 volunteers.

"A lot of people have said; 'Oh, it must be so nice for it to be empty.' But it really wasn't because you know the underlying reasons for it, you know nothing good can come of this, and your gardens are closed and when everybody needs a bit of open space to relieve the pressures of lockdown, initially we weren't available," he says.

Free says the gardens' strategy is focused on building resilience into their plants, particularly with climate change - this summer's heatwave is proving a useful test.

He says they've seen plants from warmer climates and drought-hit regions really "thrive".

"We're really starting to see things like Mediterranean shrubs, evergreen shrubs with small leaves really, really thrive in our climate. Australian plants, tea tree bushes and things from South Africa as well," he says.

"We've tried some really quite unusual things this year that are surviving okay so far, and that's part of the enjoyment."

Richmond, UK - 24 June 2020

1. Pan left of Palm House at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

UPSOUND: birdsong

2. Close of flower, lake in background

3. Tilt down to reflection of Palm House on lake

4. Wide of visitors walking by, birds sheltering under tree

5. Close of birds sheltering under tree

6. Various of rose garden

7. Various of gardens walkway, visitors walking by

8. Close of insect landing on flower

9. Low shot of sun, flowers in foreground

10. Various setup shots of Kim Francis, Head of Visitor Operations, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, speaking to woman

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Kim Francis, Head of Visitor Operations, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:

"We've done a lot of work using the job retention scheme, we've done a lot of work on budgeting. You know, a lot of things stopped when we closed, we rely on our visitors to fund everything that we do and without visitors on site, we've seen a drop in that. But our members have been renewing, even though they can't come to site, and our members have been amazing about those sorts things. And donations have come in across our website and our digital presence."

12. Pan left of visitors entering Kew Gardens

13. Close of sign, reading (English): "Please keep your distance", visitors entering in background

14. Pan left of visitor entering gardens

15. Tilt down of sign, reading (English): "Welcome back to Kew"

16. Wide of visitors sitting on grass

17. Various or rose garden

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Kim Francis, Head of Visitor Operations, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:

"We pre-booked out every weekend within about two days, particularly from our members that were desperate to come back. And demand sees us selling out every day, almost. And that's with us increasing capacity safely and knowing that the gardens can take it. So yeah, it just keeps going up, which is great."

19. Wide of visitors, large trees

20. Mid of woman eating in shade

21. Various of ice cream van, visitors queuing

22. Mid of worker serving ice cream

23. Tilt down to sign, reading (English): "Soft serve ice cream"

24. Pan left of worker handing ice cream to visitor

25. Close of visitor tasting ice cream

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Kim Francis, Head of Visitor Operations, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:

"There are some things, like you don't like to queue in the sun. So, again, trying to speed people through and get them in as quickly as we can has been difficult. Everybody loves an ice cream, so we are opening our ice cream stores all over the site. And our catering team are doing an amazing job on that. And there's nothing better than walking down somewhere like this with an ice cream in your hand."

27. Various of rock garden, waterfall

28. Various setup shots of Tom Free, Gardens Supervisor, Alpine and Rock Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, walking by

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Free, Gardens Supervisor, Alpine and Rock Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:

"A lot of people have said; 'Oh, it must be so nice for it to be empty.' But it really wasn't because you know the underlying reasons for it, you know nothing good can come of this, and your gardens are closed and when everybody needs a bit of open space to relieve the pressures of lockdown, initially we weren't available. It's really good that we are available now for that purpose."

30. Various of gardeners working, cleaning water lily pond

31. Pan left of sun shining through tree branches

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Free, Gardens Supervisor, Alpine and Rock Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:

"Just behind us here, we have the luxury of a water feature which keeps plants wet around the water throughout the summer. Everywhere else, will get maximum, one watering a week. And so, we're really starting to see things like Mediterranean shrubs, evergreen shrubs with small leaves really, really thrive in our climate. Australian plants, tea tree bushes and things from South Africa as well. We've tried some really quite unusual things this year that are surviving okay so far, and that's part of the enjoyment."

33. Pan left of gardens walkway, visitors

34. Close of flowers, visitors walking by in background

WORLD NEWS REVIEW 1987

Duration 32:58

Sound: Ch 1 M&E

00:00

Title captions

USA - Washington (Soviet/USA Summit)

00:25

Gorbachev's car pulls up (caption '1987 superimposed

Gorbachev & Reagan shake hands

High angle shot White House

Reagan stands to attention whilst : National Anthem plays

ms US flag flutters in breeze

USA (Reagan's Problems)

00:51

Courtroom scene during Irangate hearings

mcs Oliver North gives evidence

mcs Reagan refuses to comment

Daily News headline 'Panic'

New York stock exchange during collapse

(Nuclear Arms Treaty)

01:18

gv Kremlin

ms Gorbachev sits at desk

Aerial shot US underground nuclear device explodes

ms Russian colonel speaks at press conference

Russian testing of nuclear weapon

mls Pershing missile raised into place

mcs Kohl speaks into microphone

montage seq Shevardnadze, Shultz & others from arms treaty delegation

USSR (Glasnost)

02:56

May Day parade in Red Square (70th anniversary)

Gorbachev makes speech in Congress

Yeltsin sits in Congress

mcs Yeltsin talks to people in street

cs Yeltsin wags finger, talking to people in street

cs book by Gorbachev

Man holds up 2 books by Gorbachev

Gorbachev in street amongst people (wears Russian hat & it's snowing)

Demonstration

Josef Begun on release from detaineeship

Rudolf Nureyev interviewed re whether he wants to go back to the Soviet Union

ms Red Flag zo to ms Kremlin pan r to May Day parade

May Day parade, shadow of St Basil's in f/g

mcs zo to mls people march carrying red flags

mcs Gorbachev salutes from Kremlin wall

USA (Irangate Hearings)

05:51

Var s trial

mcs Robert McFarlane gives evidence (SOF)

cs Reagan refuses to comment (SOF) - lights go out as he speaks

cs John Poindexter gives evidence (SOF)

cs Reagan says 'I'm having some trouble remembering that'

Oliver North takes oath

cs Oliver North gives evidence (SOF)

pan l to r hearing committee

cs Oliver North gives evidence (SOF)

ms Fawn Hall stands with man pan r & z in to cs Fawn Hall

cs Oliver North gives evidence (SOF)

'Oliver North for President' t-shirt rolls off presses

Man sticks sign to car 'Ollie North for President'

Montage sequence - Oliver North

Reagan TV address - denies trading weapons for hostages

Reagan TV address - says he believed it to be true that they did not exchange arms for hostages but the facts tell him it is not true

US flag zoom out to mls White House

USA (Elections - Democratic Candidates Withdraw)

08:40

mcs Pat Schroeder makes withdrawal speech

mcs Joseph Biden makes withdrawal speech

Gary Hart speech re intention to stand for presidency

New York Post headline "Hart's 'Night with Model' Storm"

ms Hart makes withdrawal speech - says he believes he would have been a very good President

USA - New York (Wall Street Crisis)

09:14

montage sequence - Wall Street crisis

vox pop dealer

var s dealers

(People in Headlines)

10:06

4 way split of forthcoming shots

mcs Judge Bork speaks to cam (NO SOF)

ms Bork walks through airport

ms Judge Ginsberg makes speech (NO SOF)

mcs Casper Weinberger talks to cam (NO SOF)

Carlucci takes oath

2 books 'The Secret Wars of the CIA' by Bob Woodward & 'Spycatcher' by Peter Wright

ms William Casey walks along

cs Bob Woodward speaks to cam (NO SOF)

La Cicciolina poses with pink teddy bear - superimposed graphic 'Censored' at 13:19

CHINA - Beijing

11:04

Opening ceremony of Kentucky Fried Chicken

People inside Kentucky Fried Chicken

Trade Fair

Var s rows of bicycles at trade fair

Student demonstration

Students burn official newspaper

Deng Xiaoping in parliament, claps as he walks along, photographers mill around him

Old Guard politician is helped to seat

mcs Zhao Ziyang speaks to cam

SOUTH KOREA (Unrest/Elections/Olympics Preparations)

12:30

Var s student protest

Street fighting

Riot police fire on protestors

Chun & Roh Tae Woo shake hands

mcs Chun

Kim Young Sam & Kim Dae Jung pose then sit together

Pan l to r athletics stadium, Seoul

Souvenir caps & t - shirts for Olympics

USA (Death of Andy Warhol)

14:09

mcs Warhol

'Condensed Soup' painting by Warhol

'Marilyn Monroe' painting by Warhol pan r to memorial plaque to Warhol

cs memorial plaque

LEBANON (Hostages)

14:29

2 released Frenchmen

Iranian man suspected of terrorism kisses friend before leaving France

mcs Syrian diplomat kidnapped in Lebanon (Do Jai Sum?)

ms poster of Alfred Schmidt

Terry Waite in Beirut

Plaque marks number of days John McCarthy held hostage

Video clip - McCarthy drinks from cup & smokes cigarette

Prayer vigil held by Friends of John McCarthy

LEBANON - Beirut (Situation)

15:24

Ruined buildings

Men walk between ruined buildings via planks

Children play at war

LEBANON (Bourl al Barajneh Camp)

15:49

Pauline Cutting works in hospital ward

People try to cross camp, dodging bullets

mcs woman is sick

mcs woman cries

IRAN/IRAQ (War)

16:25

Tracking shot past tanks in desert

Tanks

Dead bodies & wrecked vehicles

Aftermath of shelling of school, Baghdad (Iraq TV pix)

Children in hospital (Iraq TV pix)

Funeral of war dead, Tehran

Mecca riots

CHAD

18:15

Copy of Koran lies in desert, tank in b/g

Wrecked vehicles & dead bodies

Chadian soldiers with tank in desert

AFGHANISTAN

18:49

mcs President Najib at press conference

Soviet pix of Soviet army in Afghanistan

CENTRAL AMERICA

19:20

Pan across Nicaraguan countryside

American man helping Sandinistas demonstrates weapon

Funeral of Benjamin Linder

Ortega makes funeral oration at Linder's funeral

mcs President Arias (Costa Rica) speaks to cam

Protests in US against US involvement in Central America

GERMANY - Berlin (750TH Anniversary of Berlin)

20:24

ms Brandenberg gate

Berlin wall

Poster re 750 years of Berlin

ms Spandau jail

(Alleged Nazis)

20:48

Trial of Demjanjuk (suspected of being Ivan the Terrible)

INDIA

20:58

Aftermath of violence, Punjab

Rajiv Gandhi visits hospital wards

SRI LANKA

21:29

Deserted village

Pan l to r mcs row of dead children

Row of dead adults

Gandhi signs peace agreement with Sri Lanka

Gandhi attacked with rifle butt during inspection of troops

PHILIPPINES

22:25

Troops fire on demonstrators, Mandiola Bridge

Var s dead & wounded

Cory Aquino votes

Night shots dead bodies after coup attempt

Troops fire, subduing coup attempt

FIJI

23:33

Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka speaks to cam (SOF)

Var s fighting during coup

Night shot man takes down Union Jack

VARIOUS COUNTRIES (Elections)

24:27

Bob Hawke & wife celebrate election victory, Australia

David Lange votes, New Zealand

Lange & wife after winning election

Thatcher waves to crowds after winning UK elections

Crowds outside Tory HQ, London

Thatcher salutes from window of HQ

HAITI

25:05

Votes placed in ballot boxes

People queue to vote

People run for cover in polling station as gun fire begins

Var s dead bodies after election violence

Ambulances drive towards cam

SOUTH AFRICA

25:34

mcs P.W. Botha makes speech

Audience applauds

Mbeki is reunited with family

ANC followers dance

cs Govan Mbeki at press conference (SOF)

ANC supporters sing ANC anthem

Tribal dancing, Senegal

South African white liberals & ANC leaders at talks in Senegal

Var s black miners

Striking miners sing on bus - some brandish weapons

(AIDS)

27:06

Var s babies with AIDS, Zaire

Reagan makes speech re 3 young brothers with AIDS

Var s 3 brothers with AIDS

1 of the brothers speaks to cam (SOF)

ETHIOPIA (Awaits Famine)

27:52

Var s Ethiopian people in countryside

BRAZIL - Goiania (Radiation Leak

28:29

High angle shots city

Pan r to l city to hut on demolition site

Intv with scrap dealer who handled radiation

Mothers with children

Sign 'Area Radioativa'

People are de-activated

People with radiation injuries

USSR - Chernobyl

29:11

Trial of Chernobyl senior management

BANGLADESH

29:22

Flood scenes

Ill people in hospital

COLOMBIA (Mudslide)

29:48

Aftermath of Colombian mudslide

SPACE (Mir Space Station)

30:18

Launch of space rocket

Soviet cosmonauts

Soviet space monkeys

(Climate)

30:44

Computer graphic shows climate (depletion in ozone layer)

Montage sequence - snow in Europe

Montage sequence - heatwave in Greece

Montage sequence - Aftermath of floods in Europe

FRANCE - Paris (Fashion)

31:34

Models on catwalk in Paris fashion show

USA/USSR ARMS TREATY SIGNING

31:58

Gorbachev stands with Reagan as he makes speech

Reagan stands next to Gorbachev as he makes speech

Reagan & Gorbachev sign arms treaty

Raisa Gorbachev & Nancy Reagan in audience

Gorbachev & Reagan shake hands after signing treaty

10:32:47 End Titles

10:32:58 End

(Please note: Music must not be used)