The RSPB, who operate the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, held an event for partners on the project to celebrate a year of operation for the new Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre.
Since opening last year, the Centre has welcomed 370,000 visitors to the £5 million facility part funded by D2N2.
The figure also includes over 35,000 who visited to celebrate the 35th Robin Hood Festival.
The excellent visitor figures cap a strong first year for the centre in which it also scooped awards for its design including two from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and a further accolade from the Local Authority Building Control (LABC).
Local Growth Fund
The £5million Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre received £500,000 via the D2N2 LEP from its Local Growth Fund allocation, funding allocated by Government to part-fund infrastructure projects which directly benefit the economy.
The new visitor centre replaced the original 1970s-built building after the RSPB won a competitive tender in 2015 to manage the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, along with partners Nottinghamshire County Council, Sherwood Forest Trust, The Woodland Trust, Thoresby Estate and Continuum Attractions.
Plans to build a new visitor centre were created after the old site and car park were judged to be within a protected area of the forest that contained one of the highest concentrations of ancient oaks found anywhere in Europe.
Clean Growth
Some 2 million people visit the North Nottinghamshire attractions of Rufford Park, Clumber Park, and Sherwood Forest annually and Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’s tourism is now worth over £3 billion to the local economy.
Part of the income generated by the new Visitor Centre has been channelled towards environmental conservation, including the restoration of ancient heathland elsewhere in the forest, a vital resource for the maintenance of air quality across the country.
D2N2 is committed to promoting clean growth in our region in order to protect our natural assets and has published our Energy Strategy 2019-2030.
Media wanting more information about the D2N2 LEP can contact Luke Stott, D2N2 Digital Marketing Officer, on 0115 9578749 or email: Luke.Stott@d2n2lep.org
