Eden Project marks 25 years by meeting early guest

A visitor attraction in Cornwall is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The Eden Project said it has now had 25 million visitors since it opened in 2001, and to mark the anniversary invited back one of the earliest people to walk through its doors.

Rosie Johns first visited during the construction of the now iconic biomes as an eight year-old and said the experience had "helped spark my interest in nature and has shaped so much of my life".

The attraction designed by architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw and built in a former Cornish clay pit has inspired similar environmental projects in Scotland, London, Lancashire and China.

To mark the anniversary occasion, Johns met co-founder Sir Tim Smit OBE, chief executive Andy Jasper and Dr Jo Elworthy, one of the first employees of the Eden Project.

She told them her father had taken environmental studies and her grandfather, who grew up in the Falklands, had worked in environmental survey roles, including on expeditions with the British Antarctic Survey in the 1940s.

Johns now works for the Sensory Trust and works on projects which improve accessibility and inclusion in outdoor environments.

Eden's chief executive Andy Jasper said: "Rosie's story is fascinating - stretching from that formative moment overlooking the construction to her work supporting inclusive access to nature."

"We are profoundly grateful to every one of the 25 million visitors who have been part of this extraordinary, pioneering journey," he added.

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