The search continues to fund a new desert biome

The money will go towards the construction of its education centre and will also pay for improvements for visitors and staff.

Despite a fall in last year's visitor numbers, the 1.4m people it attracted far exceeded the 700,000 first envisaged.

The Regional Development Agency will contribute �7m, with a further �13m from the county's Objective One fund.

This new money will take Eden's value to more than �100m.

Eden, which is among the top five tourist attractions in the UK, will not be using this pot of money for its long-awaited third biome.

The search for funding the new desert biome, which will resemble the Arizona desert, is continuing.