New Balance Unveils its First-Ever Garden for its Factory Workers in Flimby

New Balance Unveils its First-Ever Garden for its Factory Workers in Flimby
A restorative new outdoor space created for the people behind New Balance Made in UK, designed by London-based jewellery designer, Bleue Burnham.

Flimby, UK - July 30, 2026 - New Balance today unveils its first-ever garden at its Made in UK factory in Flimby, Cumbria, "The Flimby Garden" created with London-based jewellery designer Bleue Burnham.

Designed as a dedicated space for the factory workers whose craftsmanship defines New Balance's Made in UK legacy, the garden offers a place for rest, reflection and connection throughout the working day. The project marks a celebration of the people behind the products, while bringing together two brands united by a shared passion for craft and the creativity of the natural world.

New Balance's Flimby factory has been home to the Made in UK line since 1991, employing around 300 skilled workers who produce approximately 30,000 pairs of shoes each month. For more than 40 years, New Balance has invested in UK manufacturing, and today Made in UK remains the pinnacle of the brand's offering, celebrated globally for its quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Located alongside the Flimby factory, the garden has been conceived as a restorative environment where employees can step away from the production floor and spend time immersed in nature. Seating areas and communal gathering points encourage a moment to pause, while carefully considered planting ensures the landscape evolves and blooms across each season.

Drawing inspiration from the surrounding landscape of the Lake District, the garden features gently undulating flower beds, wildflower planting, pockets of water and flowering cherry trees. Bleue Burnham's distinctive design language is woven throughout the project, balancing structured forms with more playful, organic elements, including custom multi-coloured bird boxes integrated to support local wildlife.

The project represents a significant milestone for Bleue Burnham founder Bleue Wickham-Burnham, marking the first professionally designed garden by the brand. An enthusiastic gardener for many years, Wickham-Burnham personally designed the landscape and planting scheme, bringing a lifelong passion for horticulture and nature into a new creative medium.

"At New Balance, craftsmanship starts with people. The Flimby factory has been home to generations of skilled makers, and we wanted to create something meaningful for the employees who continue that legacy every day. This garden is a celebration of their contribution and a space designed for their wellbeing, enjoyment and connection to the natural environment that surrounds the factory." said Dan Holtby, Director of UK Manufacturing and Operation at New Balance

"It's both a privilege and an honour to have been entrusted with designing a garden for New Balance at their Made in UK factory. The project gave us the opportunity to explore how our design language and philosophy could interact with garden design, creating a space that is playful in its design, whilst encouraging moments of pause, connection and joy throughout the working day." Said Bleue Wickham-Burnham, Founder of Bleue Burnham

On a personal level, I'm incredibly proud of what we've created together. I look forward to watching the garden grow and mature over the coming years and becoming an established part of daily life for the New Balance team at Flimby."

To coincide with the garden's opening, New Balance and Bleue Burnham have also produced a documentary-style film chronicling the development of the project from concept to completion. Additional standalone films focused on the garden itself will be released across digital and social channels, featuring special appearances from renowned gardener and broadcaster Monty Don.

More than a landscape project, the garden reflects New Balance's longstanding belief that exceptional craftsmanship begins with the people behind every product. As one of the few global footwear brands to maintain domestic manufacturing in both the UK and the US, New Balance continues to invest in the factories, communities and skilled makers that define its legacy. The Flimby garden is a lasting symbol of that commitment, celebrating the craftsmanship, heritage and sense of community that remain at the heart of Made in UK.

Launching on the 30th July 2026, The Flimby Garden will open exclusively for employees at New Balance's Made in UK factory, providing a dedicated space for rest, reflection and connection.

###

About New Balance
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA, has the following purpose: Independent since 1906, we empower people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. New Balance employs 14,000 associates around the globe, and in 2025 reported worldwide sales of $9.2 billion. New Balance owns five athletic footwear factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance MADE U.S. footwear contains a domestic value of 70% or more and makes up a limited portion of New Balance's U.S. sales. To learn more about New Balance, please visit newbalance.com; for the latest press information visit https://newbalance.newsmarket.com/.

About Bleue Burnham
Established in 2018, by Bleue Wickham-Burnham, Bleue Burnham is a jewellery brand based in London. The purpose and philosophy of their practice is to create jewellery of timeless beauty and extraordinary quality, which is developed and actualized from detailed research of human culture and its connection to the natural world; focusing their energy to heighten and amplify the beauty of this connection. As a result, the jewellery embodies meaning and an aesthetic which unites a love and enjoyment of nature with playful design and classic elegance.