London Wetland Centre
Wetland Centre
VO: It can be hard to find peace and tranquillity in a city like London but one place that offers just that is the London wetland centre. This 40 hectare space was recently created to get the public close to the many birds and wildlife that inhabit the lagoons, lakes, ponds and pools of the area and is the ideal antidote to busy city life.
Martin Senior, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The amazing thing about this particular location is that it’s an opportunity for people to relax in the city and see all this amazing wildlife. It’s actually one of the best wildlife sites in the entire country and it’s within 20 minutes from central London.
Martin Senior, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
It’s amazing how much wildlife you do actually get in central London and people don’t realise then when you look up in the sky there is a huge variety of things flying over. What we’ve done here is just create the habitats and the birds have found those.
Martin Senior, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Basically we’re providing food, we’re providing safe roosting, safe nesting habitats and they’re flying over, they’re spotting the water and they’re thinking ‘let’s take a look’
VO: It’s hard to believe that an area like this was a concrete reservoir just a decade ago but since the centre opened in 2000 it’s attracted hundreds of different wild species
Martin Senior, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Each year the centre attracts over 180 different bird species. On top of that we’ve got 8 species of bat that come here. We’ve got loads of different species of moths and butterflies and other insects, dragonflies and it’s amazing how diverse it is and most people are quite surprised that here we are on the flight path to Heathrow and yet you’ve got this amazing array of wildlife that you’d expect to see maybe out in Norfolk or in the British isles, you know, in the countryside.
VO: As well as attracting different wild animals and birds the centre also draws hundreds of families and school parties looking to get close to nature
Martin Senior, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The whole of the centre has been designed so that it’s engaging to families and children. The idea is that we want people to learn about wetlands and wildlife and become supporters of it really. People need to relate to wildlife and enjoy it if they’re going to care about it enough to save it and the idea is that through our centres today that the education of wetlands and wildlife through families and children is absolutely vital for the long-term success of wildlife and habitats throughout the UK and the world
Martin Senior, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Well the centre offers to all tourists a very unique experience. Just a few minutes from the hustle and bustle of central London you have this oasis of calm and quiet where you can see the most beautiful wildlife that Britain has to offer.
