Wildlife park opens hub featuring erupting volcano

Wildlife park opens hub featuring erupting volcano18 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJosh Lovatt,at Shepreth Wildlife ParkandAimee Dexter

Josh Lovatt/BBC A box full of sand which is piled up has a projection of the ocean projecting onto the sand which is showing coral and fish.

Josh Lovatt/BBCAn interactive sandbox is one of the ways the wildlife park aims to engage visitors

A wildlife park has opened an interactive conservation hub to help young visitors learn about nature.

Shepreth Wildlife Park in Cambridgeshire said the new building featured a range of interactive screens and projections to aid understanding, including an erupting volcano.

Rebecca Willers, director of the park, said: "We are so excited to have this different way of bringing children to the wildlife park and getting them to leave with a message."

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity (SWCC) said the project received funding from South Cambridgeshire District Council's Rural England Prosperity Fund.

Josh Lovatt/BBC Rebecca Willers is standing in front of a wooden hut. She has long blonde hair in a ponytail and is wearing a black vest top. She is standing next to a blue sign which says CONSERVATION HUB and has several animals on it.

Josh Lovatt/BBCRebecca Willers said the hub aimed to engage visitors

SWCC was set up in 2011 and raises funds to educate visitors about species at risk of extinction. It also funds the park's on-site hedgehog hospital.

Willers said the idea of a conservation hub had been discussed for about eight years.

"It is a dream come true, as when we started the charity, our aim was to get a hedgehog hospital [and] to raise money for charities all over the world; we have done that, and our next step was a conservation centre," she added.

Josh Lovatt/BBC A single-storey wooden lodge is surrounded by trees and has several information boards, including a map of Shepreth Wildlife Park, on the outside walls. There is a green door to the right and there is also a statue of a cow.

Josh Lovatt/BBCThe building is next to the site's play area

The new building included two areas: Wild Play and The Hive.

She said Wild Play had three interactive activities, including a sandbox where scenarios are projected and a 6ft (1.8m) touchscreen where people could play conservation games.

Willers said the charity was looking for volunteers to help run Wild Play and to speak to visitors about conservation and nature.

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