Marine centre opens for visitors
A recently-refurbished marine centre opens with rockpool rambles for families
THE popular Wembury Marine Centre is opening its doors for the start of another busy season of marine education and seashore-based activities.
The centre near Plymouth has taken its normal winter break over the past few months but is open again to visitors from this Saturday, April 9. Its new season begins with a series of rockpool safaris, providing visitors with a guided introduction to Wembury beach’s stunning wildlife.
Each safari is led by members of Devon Wildlife Trust’s expert team of staff and volunteers. People taking part can expect to come face-to-face with some of the rich range of species found locally including hermit crabs, cushion star fish, blennies, snakelocks anemones, painted topshells, pipefish and much else besides.
Wembury Marine Centre is run by the charity Devon Wildlife Trust. Its Wembury Marine Awareness and Engagement Officer is Coral Smith. Coral said: “We are incredibly excited to be opening our doors this Easter and welcoming visitors back to our new and improved centre, as well as continuing to raise awareness of Devon’s stunning underwater world and encouraging everyone to enjoy and protect it.”
Wembury Marine Centre occupies an enviable position just above one of South Devon’s most interesting beaches and rocky shores. The Centre was fully refurbished in 2021. It is free to enter and uses a unique blend of interactive activities and underwater imagery to tell the story of local marine life.
Since opening in 1994, it has inspired thousands of visitors, fascinating them with the richness of Devon’s seas and leaving them with practical messages on how they can help conserve the oceans.
Devon Wildlife Trust’s work for the local marine environment is supported by local authority partners, Plymouth University and South West Water.
South West Water customer service director Jo Ecroyd said: “South West Water is proud to support Devon Wildlife Trust which is doing fantastic work to inspire and engage people of all ages about the wonders of the marine environment.
“By partnering with organisations in this way, we are able to build on our own schools and community learning programmes, while working collectively to raise awareness and encourage people to play their part in protecting the natural environment.”
People can learn more about Wembury Marine Centre, plan a visit and book an event by visiting its website www.wemburymarinecentre.org
We are incredibly excited to be welcoming visitors back to our new and improved centre
CORAL SMITH, DWT