Wildlife visitor centre reopens after £2.1m refurb

A wildlife trust has completed a £2.1m refurbishment of its visitor centre, with the building due to reopen on Monday.

Kent Wildlife Trust said Harrison Visitor Centre at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve will create a vibrant community space and improve access to nature following the upgrades.

Some of the improvements include more disabled parking bays and adapted toilets, as well as electric vehicle charging points and solar panels.

Ben Dart, chief operating officer at the trust, said: "We've transformed the centre to open up nature to more people. Sevenoaks is an important site for nature, and we're delighted now more people will be able to experience it."

The reserve is home to thousands of species, including kingfishers, grey herons, glow worms and Daubenton's bats.

It features five lakes edged by woodland, grassland and reedbed, while the River Darent flows through the northern section, supporting fish and aquatic invertebrates.

The centre is named after Jeffery Harrison and his family, who transformed a former quarry into the 73-hectare wildlife haven now home to more than 2,000 recorded species.

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