Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has more than doubled the size of the Brockbank nature centre at its Langford Lakes nature reserve near Salisbury, with the creation of a new café area and a dedicated space for an art gallery and private functions.

The new developments at Langford Lakes were made possible through the generous support of key funders The Hills Group and the European Social Investment Fund.

The transformed Kingfisher Café now extends out over one of the lakes, allowing parkgoers to enjoy better views of the diverse wildlife at the site. The Brockbank Centre is also designed as a venue for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust events and a focal point for the local community to use for everything from meetings to weddings. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust said the expanded centre and café are drawing in more visitors and introducing more people to exploring the nature around them.

The wetlands at Langford Lakes are home to a variety of wildlife, including otters and approximately 150 resident and migratory bird species. The nature reserve offers visitors a circular route around 31 hectares of lakes and wet grassland, with level paths and five bird hides for avid bird watchers.

The Hills Group’s chairman, Alan Pardoe, and its chief executive, Mike Hill, opened the Brockbank Centre this autumn at an event attended by Lord Talbot, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Trustees and a small group of the Trust’s major stakeholders.

Alan said: “Hills is extremely proud of its long-standing relationship with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust that goes back over 30 years. The Trust and Hills were the first to make use of funding from the Landfill Communities Fund and it is fantastic to see how much this reserve at Langford Lakes has developed over the years. The exemplar habitat that has been created is tremendous for wildlife.

“The nature centre is not only an asset for the local community who now have access to this site, but also for other Wiltshire residents and all the people who are able to come and enjoy the new facilities and spend time outdoors in nature.”

Attendees of the official opening event had the chance to learn about how Langford Lakes has been transformed for the benefit of wildlife and local people since the reserve was created in 2001 from a presentation by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s CEO, Dr Gary Mantle MBE.

Find out more about Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s reserves at: www.wiltshirewildlife.org/reserves.