Seaton Jurassic talk fills Town Hall

'An evening with Devon Wildlife Trust' with the promise of an update on Seaton Jurassic was enough to fill Seaton Town Hall to the rafters on Wednesday evening (2 July).

The 150 strong audience were captivated with talks from DWT's Matt Boydell about Devon's wonderful nature reserves and Richard White who described the amazing wildlife and fauna found under Lyme Bay.  The main event was an update on Seaton Jurassic from Harry Barton, chief executive of Devon Wildlife Trust who will manage the centre when it opens next year.  He outlined the progress made to date, why Seaton is the most appropriate location for the centre and then described what a visitor will find inside the centre.

He said, "One of the aims of the centre is to raise awareness of our amazing heritage and what better place to do this than Seaton with its unique location on the Jurassic Coast; the only place with examples of the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous eras."

He went on to explain that the centre will tell the story of life using concepts of time and scale, with a fully immersive experience. 

The audience were treated to the first viewings of some of the interpretation ideas and plans for both inside and outside of the centre.

The event was organised by Seaton Visitor Centre Trust (SVCT) who have campaigned for more than 15 years for a Jurassic Coast discovery centre in Seaton. 

The group used the opportunity to launch a campaign to raise £50,000 to fund a wildlife garden for the centre which would recognise the local input to this major visitor attraction. Bernard Dunford, chair of SVCT was delighted with the evening. 

He said: "Filling the Town Hall shows the local appetite and enthusiasm for this project. We can't wait for the build to start and see the reality of our years of campaigning unfold. The wildlife garden will be our tangible contribution and ensure local people are always involved."

Anyone interested in helping with fundraising, contributing directly or becoming a volunteer at the centre can contact Bernard or Ann Kelf on 01297 22198.

Harry Barton finished by paying tribute to the SVCT and all those local people that have worked so hard for the centre and promised that Seaton Jurassic is now a reality with build starting on The Underfleet in the next few weeks.

"From a blank canvas of a car park to a full operating visitor centre within 15 months - that's some challenge but we are confident we can deliver as we have an excellent team working together with such fantastic local support as well ." he added.