Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre will celebrate being open for a year this April with a fun-packed programme of events on Saturday 11 April.
The Centre, which was officially opened by BBC presenter Chris Packham in April 2014, has provided the public with the opportunity to see and handle some of the archaeological collections unearthed at Hengistbury Head over the past 100 years.
The birthday celebrations will begin at 11am on Saturday 11 April with activities including children’s crafts, a raffle and lucky dip, a family competition, plus the regular offerings of live webcams, the wildlife garden and gift shop.
Natalie Fisher, Visitor Centre manager, said:
“It’s been an amazing first year for us here at the Visitor Centre. We have received such positive feedback from everyone who has explored the new building and our events have also been very popular.
“None of what we have achieved however would have been possible without the help and generosity of the volunteers who pledge their time on a regular basis.”
Within its first year the Visitor Centre has received 145,000 visitors and volunteers have dedicated a staggering 9,500 hours of their time to support the work at Hengistbury Head.
Internationally recognised for its wildlife and archaeology, the opening of the Centre at Hengistbury Head last year realised a thirty year aspiration to provide a high quality visitor interpretation centre at the site. From gardeners to conservationists, retailers to guides, local volunteers aged 14-84 have joined forces to protect and increase understanding of the popular local beauty spot and site of special scientific interest (SSSI).
