THE Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust has secured a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for an exciting new £1 million project at Cors Dyfi Reserve near Machynlleth.

The Dyfi Wildlife Centre: A Community Project will cost £1.1m, with the Heritage Lottery Fund providing half of the project costs, and the other half being funded by donations and membership appeals.

Based at Cors Dyfi Reserve, home of the Dyfi Osprey Project and 360 Observatory, the Dyfi Wildlife Centre will be an iconic wildlife and environment-based visitor centre development drawing in between 40,000 and 60,000 visitors per year.

The project will create a flagship visitor centre on the banks of the Dyfi River on Cors Dyfi Reserve, one of the few lowland peat bog habitats remaining in Wales.

A centre based on astute environmental and sustainable technologies with carbon-positive performance, it will pull together all the amenities of the current Dyfi Osprey Project under one roof, giving a far richer and immersive experience for visitors and volunteers alike.

The centre will be developed and built from the outset based on community involvement and participation. From consultation and decision-making to the actual construction and operation, the community will have a stake at every stage.

Showcasing the reserve’s rich biodiversity, including the Dyfi ospreys, a team of staff and 200 volunteers will communicate the cultural, industrial and natural heritage of the Dyfi River for the first time in a pioneering centre attracting up to 60,000 visitors annually.

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