Work to begin on exciting plans for The Wolseley Centre
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is pleased to announce work on its popular Wolseley Centre headquarters, near Rugeley, is due to begin this November.
The Wolseley Centre, the Trust’s home since 2003, is set to undergo a redevelopment, which will see the creation of a new café with stunning views over the lake to enrich the visitor experience, a new car park offering more spaces, improved interpretation and introducing new features across the well-visited site.
Another key part of the exciting upgrade of the facilities includes the construction of a purpose-built environmental education facility. The new building will feature a cutting-edge environmental design that delivers the perfect space for learning about nature in harmony with the natural landscape in which it will be located.
The Learning Hub at The Wolseley Centre will enable thousands of children and numerous adults each year from Staffordshire and the wider West Midlands region to learn about and become inspired by their natural environment.
Work on site is set to begin week commencing Monday 5th November and is due to be completed in time for an official opening at Easter 2019. Next year is a special year for the Trust with it being its 50th anniversary.
The centre will be completely open during half-term to make sure people and families can enjoy the site before the work begins.
The grounds surrounding the centre itself will remain open throughout the development. The Wolseley Centre building will be closed to visitors for the duration of the works.
Mark Dixon, Project Manager for the Wolseley redevelopment, said: “Before we drew up our plans out for the redevelopment, we asked visitors what they wanted. A lot of people said that they wanted to spend longer with us when the visit and having a café will allow them to do that.
“The Wolseley Centre is a great place to get closer to nature and visitors still can do this during the work – the grounds will still be accessible – but there will be a few months where they won’t be able to access our visitor centre.
“Disruption to visitors will be kept to an absolute minimum but there may be
occasions when certain parts of the site will be cordoned off such as the main car park when the improvements are underway. Anything like this will be announced well in advance so do keep an eye out for our monthly e-newsletter and our social media pages for updates.
“We really looking forward to welcoming people back to the new Wolseley Centre in the New Year.”
People can keep up to date with how the work is progressing by accessing our Facebook and Twitter pages – www.facebook.com/StaffsWildlife and www.twitter.com/StaffsWildlife
Events such as Wildlings, Wildfamilies and Nature Tots will still be going ahead at the centre during the work. All events will be held outdoors and people will need to report to the outdoor classroom when they arrive.
Sessions will need to be booked in advance online and drop-ins can only be paid for with cash and not card.
Anyone attending events at Wolseley should check for any updated information on www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/whats-on
The Wolseley Centre, the Trust’s home since 2003, is set to undergo a redevelopment, which will see the creation of a new café with stunning views over the lake to enrich the visitor experience, a new car park offering more spaces, improved interpretation and introducing new features across the well-visited site.
Another key part of the exciting upgrade of the facilities includes the construction of a purpose-built environmental education facility. The new building will feature a cutting-edge environmental design that delivers the perfect space for learning about nature in harmony with the natural landscape in which it will be located.
The Learning Hub at The Wolseley Centre will enable thousands of children and numerous adults each year from Staffordshire and the wider West Midlands region to learn about and become inspired by their natural environment.
Work on site is set to begin week commencing Monday 5th November and is due to be completed in time for an official opening at Easter 2019. Next year is a special year for the Trust with it being its 50th anniversary.
The centre will be completely open during half-term to make sure people and families can enjoy the site before the work begins.
The grounds surrounding the centre itself will remain open throughout the development. The Wolseley Centre building will be closed to visitors for the duration of the works.
Mark Dixon, Project Manager for the Wolseley redevelopment, said: “Before we drew up our plans out for the redevelopment, we asked visitors what they wanted. A lot of people said that they wanted to spend longer with us when the visit and having a café will allow them to do that.
“The Wolseley Centre is a great place to get closer to nature and visitors still can do this during the work – the grounds will still be accessible – but there will be a few months where they won’t be able to access our visitor centre.
“Disruption to visitors will be kept to an absolute minimum but there may be
occasions when certain parts of the site will be cordoned off such as the main car park when the improvements are underway. Anything like this will be announced well in advance so do keep an eye out for our monthly e-newsletter and our social media pages for updates.
“We really looking forward to welcoming people back to the new Wolseley Centre in the New Year.”
People can keep up to date with how the work is progressing by accessing our Facebook and Twitter pages – www.facebook.com/StaffsWildlife and www.twitter.com/StaffsWildlife
Events such as Wildlings, Wildfamilies and Nature Tots will still be going ahead at the centre during the work. All events will be held outdoors and people will need to report to the outdoor classroom when they arrive.
Sessions will need to be booked in advance online and drop-ins can only be paid for with cash and not card.
Anyone attending events at Wolseley should check for any updated information on www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/whats-on