Nature sanctuary marks its 30th anniversary
Sir David Attenborough at the Llanelli Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre when it opened in 1991 and below, the main visitor centre taking shape at Penclacwydd.
LLANELLI’S Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust nature reserve is marking its 30th anniversary at Penclacwydd.
It was opened on April 17, 1991, by pioneering broadcaster and natural historian Sir David Attenborough.
The wetlands reserve was the result of a vision by broadcaster and conservationist Sir Peter Scott, who was founder of the UK’S Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), whose first reserve opened in 1946 at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.
Penclacwydd was Sir Peter’s last undertaking before his death in September 1989, just shy of his 80th birthday.
Following the demise of the steel, tin and coal industries in Llanelli, the then borough council approached Sir Peter in the late 1980s and asked him to help restore the health of the land and develop tourism for Llanelli.
Sir Peter’s aim was to assess the 200-acre site at Penclacwydd Farm and work with the council to create a haven for wildlife and people. He saw huge potential in this corner of Carmarthenshire and said at the time: “We ought to have thought about having a centre in Wales much earlier than this.
“But we just did not know about Penclacwydd until very recently.
“This will be one of our better centres, which I am sure everyone will want to see.”
The restoration involved a lot of hard work, planning and dedication from many
The Llanelli Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Penclacwydd is marking its 30th anniversary.
volunteers. The work has never quite ended.
There is an ongoing effort to maintain and restore the wetlands, with improvements and additions being made every season.
Wildlife thrives there and common sights now include water voles, otters and lapwing. Egrets are also out on the salt marsh all year long now, but in the 1980s and into the 1990s they were a rarity.
WWT Llanelli Wetland reserve now welcomes over 70,000 visitors in a normal year and even more birds as they stop to refuel, breed, overwinter or rest during an epic migration journey.
While the pandemic has seen the site closed for much of the past year, bosses are still eager to mark its achievements.
A spokesman said: “A 30th birthday is always a momentous occasion, and one normally marked with a huge celebration.
“Unfortunately, we had to make do with a ‘lockdown birthday’ for the time being and keep our big plans on hold for a future date.”
Looking back at the grand opening day in 1991, bosses at Penclacwydd remember Sir David attending to speak to the crowds.
Sir David said: “I am absolutely sure that if Peter had wanted a
memorial it would be this that you see around you. Bringing together our people and the natural world is a precious benefit to both.
“If you really want an example of how that should be done, just look around you.”
The reserve thrived, with visitors and school trips all taking in the beauty and learning about the nature that was on their doorstep.
Almost a decade later it was enhanced further in 2000 with the creation of a 90-hectare reserve known as the Millennium Wetlands.
The centre said: “This development effectively turned back the clock 200 years, repairing the ecological damage of years of human activity, agriculture and industry, making it more attractive to a diverse range of specialised species.”
Situated on the shore of the Burry Inlet, it is hailed as the most important wholly Welsh estuary for waterbirds and listed as a Special Protection Area, Ramsar Site and Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Posting on Facebook, bosses said: “Everyone who has ever visited, joined as a member, made a donation or volunteered, thank you.
“You have all contributed to our success and to the development of this incredible haven for wetland wildlife.”