The Seaton Visitor Centre Trust (SVCT) has gifted Seaton Wetlands with a generous donation of £8,000, following the closure of the trust.

This funding will enable increased learning opportunities for young people with its subsidisation of school visits and provision of educational and monitoring tools.

Between 2001 and 2015, the SVCT had conducted a campaign to establish a visitor centre in Seaton. The centre would provide educational facilities following the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for Seaton's Jurassic coastline.

In collaboration with several entities such as Devon County Council, East Devon District Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund, they successfully raised £4.2m.

In 2016, Princess Anne opened the Seaton Jurassic.

Despite the unfortunate closure of the Centre in 2021, there is promising news for future development in the region.

Seaton Tramway recently announced that the Jurassic Discovery Centre will open there in spring 2024, and by the summer, the centre is set to unveil an immersive dinosaur exhibition, featuring state-of-the-art animatronic exhibits from the National History Museum.

Chair of SVCT, Bernard Dunford, said: "I would like to thank all of our supporters and volunteers for the wonderful help we have received at SVCT.

"The Trustees have agreed that now is the right time for SVCT to close, as the centre has new owners.

"Throughout the 20 years of the Trust, we have enjoyed fantastic local support to deliver our goals of educating people about the history and the environmental story of the Axe Valley and the Jurassic Coast."

The Trustees agreed that remaining funds should be donated to Seaton Wetlands.

Mr Dunford said: "We are all delighted that Seaton Tramway will be able to continue the work we started all those years ago and we wish them every success."

Cllr Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Coast, Country and Environment, thanked SVCT for the donation.

He said: "On behalf of Seaton Wetlands, I would like to say a very big thank you to the SVCT for the donation.

"This money will enable children from local schools to visit and learn about the wildlife.

"We also plan to install more bird boxes and web cams, which are a real hit with visitors."