Renowned Naturalist Opens New Dragonfly Centre At Wicken Fen

RENOWNED naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, was on hand to formally open the brand new national Dragonfly Centre at Wicken Fen on Sunday. The Springwatch presenter joined with reserve staff to welcome dozens of visitors to the opening of the new

RENOWNED naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, was on hand to formally open the brand new national Dragonfly Centre at Wicken Fen on Sunday.

The Springwatch presenter joined with reserve staff to welcome dozens of visitors to the opening of the new centre, which will house more than 20 species of dragonfly including several rare species including the Emperor Dragonfly and the Red Eyed Damselfly.

The Dragonfly Centre, the first of its kind in the UK, is a joint initiative between the National Trust, the British Dragonfly Society and the Dragonfly Project and is housed in a renovated former fen worker's cottage.

The centre received a grant of �37,000, the first awarded by the Fens' Adventurers' Local Action Group, the governing body for the locally focussed RDPE programme in Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk Fens.

Speaking to visitors before leading a tour of the reserve, Mr Packham said: "Wicken Fen is an incredibly special place and today's opening of the dragonfly centre is very special too.

"My hope is that one of today's young visitors will have a passion implanted and enjoy a lifetime of interest in the natural world. That would be a just reward for all the hard work that the Dragonfly Project and the British Dragonfly Society have put in.