Work starts on visitor centre

The first foundations of Durrell’s new visitor centre and café at the wildlife park in Trinity were laid yesterday with a little help from Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean.

The Senator assisted by knocking down a small section of the wall of the old centre to set this project on the road which has been made possible by a £1.5 million grant from the States Fiscal Stimulus funds.
The grant was an agreement to match pound for pound a similar sum raised by Durrell’s own fundraising.
It was Senator Maclean’s department which sponsored Durrell’s successful bid for the Fiscal Stimulus funding.
At that time, the minister said that securing this funding would boost the construction sector and deliver significant improvements for Durrell which was enjoyed by residents and visitors.

Durrell chief executive Paul Masterton said that the visitor centre was a vital development for the trust which would provide much needed income as part of their drive towards financial stability.
“The development schedule is ambitious, but our plan is to open for Easter next year” he said.
One of the centre’s main features will be a café which will be open to visitors and non-visitors to the wildlife park.

Due to be known as Café Firefly, it is being named after a reference to fireflies made in famous words written in 1988 by zoo founder Gerald Durrell which were placed in a time capsule and buried in the foundations of the Princess Royal Pavilion.

The new visitor centre will also include a display of Fair Trade products and gifts including those made in the countries where Durrell has conservation projects.
To spread the word about Durrell’s work, there will also be short films shown there about the charity’s wildlife preservation projects around the world, an interactive visitor book and online access.

Senator Maclean said he was delighted to see the construction of the new visitor centre begin as the investment would immediately benefit the construction sector and meet the stimulus fund’s aims.

Jersey Evening Post - Tuesday 5th October 2010

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